SMS-Int Sept24

September 8, 2024 Steel Market Summary – International Battle Lines Drawn As Self Interest Rules  With regard to the health of the world economy, a popular saying over many decades has been: “When America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold”. Nowadays, China´s influence over global steel is so enormous that any sign […]

SMS-Aust 8 Sept24

September 8, 2024 Steel Market Summary – Australia BlueScope Steel´s 20% Profit Fall Amid Weaker Steel Prices  BlueScope Steel has delivered a net profit after tax of $805.7 million for the 2024 fiscal year. The figure is a $203.5 million or 20% decrease on 2023´s full year result. BlueScope´s Australian operations generated an underlying EBIT […]

SMS-Aust 18 Aug

August 18, 2024 Steel Market Summary – Australia Whyalla Lay-Offs A Sign Of Larger Problem  GFG Alliance has announced the loss of 48 jobs at its Whyalla steelworks, attributing the redundancies to cost cutting needed to offset a prolonged downturn in the steel market globally. In a statement, GFG Alliance said the job losses would […]

SMS-Int Aug24

August 6, 2024 Steel Market Summary – International Reasons Aplenty To Believe Rough Times Ahead The steel industry is simultaneously a driver of international commerce and a captive of global affairs. Its essential role in everyday life safeguards it against most economic downturns. But it is not impervious to the tectonic shifts in world order. […]

SMS-Aust 6 August

August 6, 2024 Steel Market Summary – Australia Steel Prices And Stock Markets – Heading South  In the sporting world at the Paris Olympics, athletes are trying to achieve their `personal best´ and more. In the steel world, some previously high-performing products are now well below their personal best and may yet fall further. As […]

SMS-Aust 18 July

July 18, 2024 Steel Market Summary – Australia New Dwellings Up, Whyalla Back  A slight increase in the number of new dwellings commenced in the March quarter is welcome news for the steel industry. However, the eye-catching figure within the modest 0.5% overall rise was the increase in new private sector house commencements which rose […]

SMS-Int July24

July 5, 2024 Steel Market Summary – International Trade And Environmental Protections Assume Centre Stage The Chinese are fond of saying that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. In keeping with that notion, the decarbonisation of all steelmaking in China may have just taken a small but vital step forward. […]

SMS-Aust 6 July

July 5, 2024 Steel Market Summary – Australia Rise In Housing Approvals Encourages Steel Industry  Large government-funded infrastructure projects have been the saviour for steel consumption since the pandemic, and continue to be so. Construction in its many forms, both public and private, has fared less well and often for complex reasons related more to […]

SMS-Aust 18 June

June 18, 2024 Steel Market Summary – Australia Port Kembla Plate Mill Upgrade Approved  The NSW Government has given planning approval for a major refurbishment of BlueScope Steel’s Port Kembla plate mill. The $300 million project will involve replacing two of the existing furnaces with a newer and more energy-efficient alternative, upgrading infrastructure, and modernising […]

SMS-Int June24

June 6, 2024 Steel Market Summary – International Carbon Pricing – An Opportunity Within A Levy? At a time when respected Australian academics and commentators are pointing to the European Union´s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) as a model for fixing an Australian carbon price, South Africa has announced it may lodge a formal complaint […]