Steel

• Mexico, China drilling growth expected May 02, 2013

  Tenaris SA expects pipe and tube demand from the Mexican market to rise in the medium term, as the country—now an importer of natural gas—begins to exploit its shale reserves.

• Gerdau, SDI cut beams again in unusual move May 02, 2013

  Structural steel prices have become a moving target as two of the three major U.S. producers posted their second reductions in a month.

• Trade case mulled as rebar imports spike May 02, 2013

  Market speculation is mounting about a possible trade case against Turkey after total rebar imports soared to more than 140,400 tons in March. However, some dismissed rumors of a trade case as nothing more than customary saber-rattling.

• Vallourec set to commission Youngstown lines in 2d qtr. May 02, 2013

  Vallourec SA plans to commission the finishing lines at its new mill in Youngstown, Ohio, during the second quarter, with ramp-up of the facility "advancing as scheduled," the company said in its first-quarter earnings report May 2.

• Tenaris joins industry in fight vs. OCTG imports May 02, 2013

  Luxembourg-based pipe and tube maker Tenaris SA is working with U.S. steelmakers to determine the best way to cope with a wave of imports that has dragged down prices.

• USS workers told to avoid picketers: union May 02, 2013

  Employees at U.S. Steel Corp.’s pickling operations in Nanticoke, Ontario, have been told by management not to talk to locked-out United Steelworkers union members outside its Lake Erie Works.

• Stainless profits to stay flat: distributor May 02, 2013

  Profits in the flat-rolled stainless steel industry will be "nonexistent for the next three years," according to an executive at Global Stainless Steel Inc.

• U.S. Steel positive on auto; construction mart still lags May 02, 2013

  U.S. Steel Corp. continues to see solid demand in the automotive market, but the steelmaker says it has yet to see a significant uptick in the construction sector.

• Steel group updates manual on bumper materials, design May 02, 2013

  To assist engineers and automakers in applying the most lightweight and cost-effective steel bumpers in passenger cars and light trucks, the Steel Market Development Institute’s (SMDI’s) Bumper Group has released the fifth edition of its product manual.

• Gerdau Long Steel cuts merchant product prices $20/T May 02, 2013

  Gerdau Long Steel North America has lowered its merchant steel product base prices by $20 per ton ($1 per hundredweight) effective with May 1 shipments, the company said in a letter to customers.

• Tenaris sees North America drilling pickup by year-end May 02, 2013

  Tenaris SA expects North American drilling activity to begin to pick up by the end of the year, while international drilling activity is expected to increase slowly throughout the remainder of 2013, the company said in its first-quarter earnings report.

• Weak demand sinks China's H-beam export prices May 02, 2013

  China’s H-beam export market has slumped on thin trade, shedding $20 per tonne over the past week.

• China's Zhejiang exchange plans iron ore trading platform May 02, 2013

  Zhejiang Zhoushan Bulk Commodity Exchange is seeking to launch a spot iron ore trading platform by year-end.

• ITA seeks comments on administrative reviews May 02, 2013

  The U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA) has given notice for interested parties to participate in various administrative reviews.

• U.S. steel import licenses tick up in April May 01, 2013

  U.S. steel imports appear to have bucked a two-month slide, increasing 4 percent in April from the previous month on increased shipments from Brazil and Japan.

• Drilling to pick up as gas prices rise: USS May 01, 2013

  U.S. Steel Corp. expects domestic drilling activity to pick up as natural gas prices, buoyed by a drawdown of stocks due to a longer than expected winter in some parts of the country, have risen to more than $4 per million British thermal units (mmBtu).

• Obamacare hard pill to swallow: execs May 01, 2013

  New parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will come into full force in eight months, and while most steel companies are sticking with the health insurance plans they currently offer employees, they aren’t happy about what may come next.

• USS eyes vertical integration in natural gas May 01, 2013

  U.S. Steel Corp. is considering vertically integrating into natural gas if the opportunity is right, its top executive said.

• Trade laws said crucial to steel’s future May 01, 2013

  Strict enforcement of trade laws will be crucial to keeping steelmakers’ margins healthy and maintaining the U.S. manufacturing sector’s strength, according to several top trade attorneys.

• ITC sets vote on Japanese nickel-plated steel May 01, 2013

  The U.S. International Trade Commission will vote May 10 in a preliminary determination on imports of diffusion-annealed, nickel-plated flat-rolled steel products from Japan.

• ITA again amends review results vs. Indian flat-rolled steel May 01, 2013

  The U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a second set of amended final results in the countervailing duty administrative review of hot-rolled carbon steel flat products from India.

• Gerdau lowers rebar base prices $20/ton May 01, 2013

  Gerdau Long Steel North America has lowered its base price on concrete reinforcing bar (rebar) by $20 per ton ($1 per hundredweight) effective for all shipments beginning May 1, the company announced in a letter to customers.

• Universal 1st-qtr. earnings, sales drop sharply May 01, 2013

  Universal Stainless & Alloy Products Inc. saw sales drop sharply in the first quarter as customers continued to manage inventory levels and purchase material on a "hand-to-mouth" basis.

• USS, Republic mull DRI joint venture in Ohio May 01, 2013

  U.S. Steel Corp. is considering a direct-reduced iron (DRI) venture with Republic Steel in Lorain, Ohio, it said.