The first quarter total US scrap exports came in at 3,152,000 tonnes, up 11.0% year on year (y/y). Once again Turkey was the largest importer, bringing in 542,700 tonnes in the first quarter, an 11.8% decrease y/y. Mexico was the next largest importer with 442,738 tonnes in Q1, an 83% jump y/y. Taiwan ranked third, [...]
The total number of seasonally adjusted (SA), non-farm people employed in the US in April was 146,063,000. This figure was up 2,186,000 (+1.52%) year on year and increased by of 211,000 month on month (0.14%). The economy continues to create strong overall job growth, averaging 145,000 jobs per month over the last 16 months. The [...]
Manufacturing capacity utilization (CU), bounced back to 75.90 in April, after a slight decline in March, up 0.94% month on month (m/m) and up 1.17% year on year (y/y). The 20 year average CU rate was 75.74, nearly exactly the current three month moving average (3MMA). Figure 1, charts capacity utilization from 2010 to present. [...]
The IP index recorded a value of 105.10 in April, up 1.0% month on month (m/m) and by 1.2% year on year (y/y). April’s score exceeded analysts’ expectations and was the third month in a row with a positive m/m gain. The increasing trend is welcome news for manufacturing. Industrial production is a pure measure [...]
U.S. service center total carbon steel shipments increased by 6.2% year on year (y/y), in April on a three month moving average (3MMA) basis. An encouraging trend, this was the fourth consecutive monthly increase. Bar and shapes shipments increased the most, up by 15.8% 3MMA y/y. Table 1 shows percentage change results for shipments, daily [...]
Each month the US Census Bureau issues a report on inventory levels of manufactured goods. The time series data is presented in both seasonally adjusted (SA), non-inflation adjusted dollars and inflation adjusted dollars. The inflation adjustment is made by using the Census Bureau’s producer price index (PPI), series for each of its nine categories. In [...]
The PPI for all commodities moved up 5.3% year on year (y/y), in April. The index has now increased for five consecutive months with each successive months percentage increase greater than the month before. The material and construction components PPI has increased in each of the last five months and has moved-up on a y/y [...]
This voluntary survey is conducted with a senior loan officer at each respondent bank. Senior financial officer staff at the reserve banks with knowledge of bank lending practices administer the interview. The reporting panel consists of up to 60 large, domestically chartered commercial banks and up to 24 large U.S. branches and agencies of foreign [...]
Prices fell for three of the five long product groups according to the May 10th China Metals Weekly (CMW) newsletter. Wire rod priced edged down 2.5% week on week (w/w) and was off 6.7% month on month (m/m). The current domestic price in China was US$440.09 per short ton for 6.5mm rod. Rebar (20mm), pricing [...]
The US dollar (USD) has retreated for three weeks in a row against a basket of currencies known as the Broad Index. The April 2017 Broad index value was 99.84, down 0.8% from the March’s reading and the first month as a two digit number after recording a string of five triple digit values. Over [...]
