Domestic raw steel production had the largest week-over-week decline since 2020 last week as mills continue maintenance outages. U.S. mills produced an estimated 1,646k tons at a 74.1% utilization rate; this is down from 1,707k tons and a 76.9% rate previously. This is the lowest utilization rate and tonnage output since January 2023.
Coking coal pricing increased sharply this week, now up for the second consecutive week. Coking coal settled at $204.75/mt, up from $187.50/mt last week. This is up 13.75% over the last two weeks. Steelmakers in India have been building up stocks in anticipation of rising domestic demand, and in China, mills were stockpiling coal ahead of the upcoming Golden Week and anticipated stimulus demand.
Business activity from the manufacturing sector in the New York region increased for the first time in nearly a year in September. The September Empire Manufacturing Index increased sharply to 11.5, up 16.2 from August. This was the strongest monthly growth since December 2021. The two-month average increased to 3.4, ending a string of nine consecutive negative readings.
The Dodge Momentum Index continued to push higher in August, now up for the fifth consecutive month. The August DMI came in at 220.4, up from a revised 214.2 reading in July and up sharply from the 178.0 reading in August 2023. This is the highest reading since December, coming in just below that all-time high level.
