Based on reported import licenses, US flat products imports increased 8% in January to 514,000 short tonnes compared to December actuals of 474,000 tons. Licenses reported up to 17 February reached 347,000 tons, which indicates that full-month imports for February should climb significantly. Reporte...

On the day that Arcelor CEO Lakshmi Mittal talked of a glimmer of hope the ISSB have reported that Steel exports from the world’s top ten exporting countries fell by 41% between July and November 2008. According to figures released by the Iron and Steel Statistics Bureau (ISSB). Steel shipment...

There is still downward pressure on US transaction prices, although the rate of decrease has decelerated. Mill outages continue, with operating levels quoted at between 40 and 50 percent, depending on the facility. Deliveries are running late because of the production constraints. Nevertheless, dist...

European steelmakers are braced for a first quarter that they expect to be even tougher than the end of last year, with demand still slack in Europe despite signs it might be picking up elsewhere. Steelmakers around the world have slashed production, cut jobs and shelved expansion projects as key cu...

Dutch unions are angry about reorganisation plans at the Anglo-Dutch steelworks company Corus. On Monday, the company announced 3,500 job losses across the globe, 800 of them in the Dutch town of Ijmuiden on the coast. Corus says it hopes the company can avoid compulsory redundancies by retraining e...

I discovered a new blog today on the steel industry, with an interesting and well thought out article on steel demand forecasts for this year by Tony Taccone. Whilst I am reproducing the full article here I would urge visitors to go over and check out the site, as there is a wealth of interesting ma...

 Meps are reporting on the dire situation in the European steel market We are witnessing unprecedented steel market conditions. As mill order books collapsed, the steel makers were left with substantial amounts of part and fully-finished products. Consequently, there have been very few forward ...

excerpt from an article by Daniel Lovering Just weeks after posting record profits, steel makers are facing a harsh new reality: dwindling orders, production cuts, layoffs. And tougher times lay ahead, analysts say. The steel industry had been riding high earlier this year, as surging demand from Ch...

UNION leaders have urged Corus not to make any “knee-jerk reactions” after the steel giant announced plans to slash steel production by up to 30% across Europe. The firm said it would shut down one of its Port Talbot blast furnaces after a massive downturn in the demand for steel. Produc...

Spiegel online, have conducted an interview with Thyssen-Krupp head Ekkehard Schulz, in which he answers questions regarding the impact of price increases upon their customers. The head of German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp, 66-year-old Ekkehard Schulz, talks about the sharp rise in steel prices, compet...