Steel industry in today’s world can well be termed as the backbone
of the economy, given its varied usage, be it in construction,
transport, electrical appliances, food packaging, etc. In terms of
its composition, steel is an alloy of iron and carbon containing
less than 2% carbon and 1% manganese and small amounts of silicon,
phosphorus, sulfur and oxygen.
Steel products are classified into four broad categories: flat
steel products, long steel products, scrap and semi-finished
products. Flat products include plates, hot-rolled strip and
sheets, and cold-rolled strip and sheets. The long steel products
are wire rods, beams, reinforced bars and merchant bars. The
products under both these categories are derived from steel slabs,
which are categorized as unfinished or semi-finished products that
are generally not sold.
The steel industry is often indicative of economic progress, given
its critical role in infrastructural and overall economic
development. The world steel industry is a large one. According to
the World Steel Association, world crude steel production was a
record 1,527 million tons (Mt) in 2011. However, despite its size,
the steel industry remains relatively fragmented. The industry is
highly cyclical and intensely competitive.
A Sneak-Peek into Major Consumer Markets
Historically, the automotive and construction markets have been the
largest consumers of steel, consuming more than half of the total
steel produced. The industry caters to large automakers such as
General Motors Company (GM),
Ford Motor
Co. (F),
Toyota Motor Corporation (TM)
and
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (HMC).
Houses, buildings, skyscrapers and bridges rely on steel for their
strength. Other steel consuming industries include appliances,
agricultural implements, converters, containers, energy, electrical
equipment and industrial machinery.
Over the last few years, China has emerged as the major consumer of
steel. With respect to consumption, the U.S. follows next with
Japan, India and South Korea in tow.
Global Production Numbers
As mentioned earlier, world crude steel production was a record
1,527 Mt in 2011, outperforming the 2010 record of 1,414 Mt, a 6.8%
jump. In the third quarter of the current fiscal, world crude steel
production was 376 Mt, a paltry 0.4% improvement from the
prior-year quarter. Year to date, world crude steel production
stood at 1,149 Mt, up 0.6% year over year.
China maintained its leadership position among the steel producing
countries, yielding almost half of the global output at 47%,
growing 1.3% year over year in first nine months of 2012. The
United States replaced Japan as the second largest steel producer,
producing 93 Mt of crude steel during the period, 3.9% higher than
the comparable period last year and accounted for 8% of the total
global output. Japan slid down to the third position with a
production level of 81 Mt, a 0.4% increase. Asia improved 1.5% to
749 Mt, while Europe dipped 4.6% to 129 Mt.
Performance So Far
After enjoying sturdy growth for most part of the last decade, the
steel industry suffered a setback due to the recession in 2008, as
consumers utilized existing inventories rather than buying new
stock. However, the industry witnessed a turnaround turned around
in late 2009 and continued to grow in 2010 and 2011, in tandem with
the global economic recovery.
The industry grew remarkably last year notwithstanding the
widespread headwinds including the ongoing Eurozone sovereign debt
crisis, earthquakes in Japan, the political unrest in the Middle
East resulting in a surge in oil prices, and the tightening of
government monetary measures in many emerging nations.
Demand for steel has benefited from growth in the developing
economies that helped counter the sluggishness in developed
economies. Asia, particularly China, continued to be the principal
driver of growth. Demand for steel products, nonetheless, remains
below the pre-recession levels. Concerns surrounding China’s growth
in the future also adds an element of uncertainty to the
outlook.
The automotive and construction markets, as mentioned earlier, have
been the largest consumers of steel over a number of years. The
automotive sector has registered significant growth this year. In
September, the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) went up 13.7%
to 14.9 million vehicles from last year, the highest sales rate in
the last four years.
The momentum was expected to continue in October as well, but due
to the devastating effect of Hurricane Sandy sales dropped to 14.3
million SAAR in October. However, it is still above the lowest mark
of 14 million SAAR in May this year. In October, sales increased 7%
year over year but were down from 13% growth noted in
September.
Notwithstanding the effects of the Hurricane Sandy, auto sales have
averaged 14.4 million SAAR and grew a promising 14%, year to date.
The robust growth rate in the sector has been fueled by strong
pent-up demand, cheap financing, launch of several redesigned and
fuel-efficient vehicles, rebound in consumer confidence, and the
growing belief that the housing market is recovering. Even though
auto sales will be affected in November due to Sandy, pent up
demand will help regain the momentum in December and January
2013.
The construction sector had been a drag on the steel companies’
earnings. However, recent figures suggest a turnaround in the
non-residential as well as residential construction sectors.
According to the American Institute of Architects, after
languishing in the negative territory for five consecutive months,
the architecture billing index (ABI) climbed back into the positive
territory with a score of 50.2 in August.
ABI is an economic indicator that provides an approximate nine- to
twelve-month glimpse into the future of non-residential
construction spending activity, and any score of above 50 is
significant as it indicates an increase in billings. In September,
the score further improved to 51.6, the highest in nearly two
years.
As per the American Institute of Architects, spending for
non-residential construction will go up 4.4% this year. This will
be propelled by higher demand for industrial facilities so far this
year coupled with sustained demand for hotels and retail projects.
The spending is expected to accelerate further to 6.2% in 2013.
In September, both housing starts and building permits were record
high in four years. Housing starts increased 35% year over year to
a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 872,000 in September 2012 and
was 15% higher than August 2012 levels. Building permits in
September were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 894,000, 45%
higher than the year-ago figure and 11.6% higher than August
2012.
In a nutshell, record-low mortgage rates, rising rents and reduced
prices of properties are luring buyers. These figures are
reflective of the fact that U.S. residential construction is
finally stabilizing and is on the road to a much awaited recovery.
The pent-up demand that has accumulated from people deferring
buying houses will help fuel the recovery.
How Well Did Steel Stocks Fare?
The recently reported third quarter results of the steel companies
in our coverage –
ArcelorMittal (MT),
United States Steel Corp. (X),
Nucor
Corporation (NUE) and
AK Steel Holding
Corporation (AKS) paints a gloomy picture. Revenues were
constrained across the board due to drop in average steel prices
and shipments.
All the steel players have been plagued by weak steel demand,
oversupply in the U.S. steel industry and increased steel imports
in the domestic market, which have affected steel prices hurting
margins in the process. The weak global conditions are a deterrent
factor for volumes.
A preview for the upcoming fourth quarter and fiscal 2012 suggest
that steel behemoth, ArcelorMittal is anticipating iron ore
shipments to increase 10% in 2012 from last year levels. The
company, wary of the global economic situation, particularly
Europe, has decided to shut down plants, cutting down its planned
2013 capital expenditures. However, the most dramatic announcement
was the company’s intent to slash its annual dividend by 73% to 20
cents per share.
United States Steel expects its segments results to remain affected
in the fourth quarter based on the assumption of lower average
realized prices as well as lower shipments. The Tubular segment is
expected to deliver profits, but significantly below the third
quarter levels.
The USSE segment is expected to break even while the Flat Rolled
segment is expected to be in the red. Softness in Europe as well as
in the emerging markets and the economic uncertainty in North
America are expected to weigh down its fourth quarter results.
AK Steel has not yet provided any specific guidance for the fourth
quarter or fiscal 2012. The company, however, put forward its
expectation of posting a loss in the fourth quarter, which includes
a non-cash tax expense. Nucor also expects its profits to be
reduced in the fourth quarter.
Now, what will be the exact picture in the upcoming results? The
U.S. steel market is plagued by oversupply and increased imports.
Although Chinese steel production, which was responsible for
causing the glut to some extent, has somewhat slowed down, supply
in the steel market still overshadows demand.
Increasing domestic imports along with oversupply in the industry
due to a ramp up in operations by other steelmakers, is putting
pressure on prices. We expect weak pricing, the European debt
crisis and its potential global impact to remain an overhang on the
steel industry in the quarter. In terms of end markets, the
automotive sector holds promise and the impending recovery in the
construction market, if permanent, will definitely provide a boost
to the steel industry.
The extent of the impact of Hurricane Sandy that hit the East Coast
in late October is yet to be assessed by the steel companies. Nucor
temporarily shut down its Connecticut rebar and wire rod mill and
United States Steel temporarily stalled its Fairless operation in
eastern Pennsylvania.
Fourth quarter results might be affected due to the interruption in
operations and associated costs/losses. However, in the near
future, the steel companies will stand to benefit from the
rebuilding activities necessary following the storm.
Industry Capacity & Demand/Consumption
Dynamics
World crude steel capacity utilization ratio increased to 77.7% in
September 2012 from 75.5% in August 2012, but dipped 2.5 percentage
points from September 2011.
As per the latest data released by the U.S Department of Commerce,
U.S. capacity utilization ratio in August 2012 was 76.3%, up from
July and reversing the downward trend from recent months. Though
the capacity utilization rate has upped 87% from the low levels
seen in April 2009, it still remains below historical averages.
In the U.S., apparent consumption, which is used to measure
domestic demand for steel, stood at 8.4 Mt in August 2012, up 2.3%
from the sequentially preceding month and up 3.4% annually. When we
compare it with the trough experienced in April 2009, demand was up
a massive 103.5%.
Price Trends Seen So Far
Steel prices are generally volatile, in line with the highly
cyclical nature of the global steel industry. Following an extended
period of upside in prices, steel prices plunged during the
financial and economic crisis of 2008 due to the sudden drop in
demand. This was further intensified by massive industry destocking
as customers cleared their steel inventories. Steel prices saw a
recovery in late 2009 that followed into 2010 but remained below
the pre-financial crisis level.
In 2011, steel prices remained volatile, increasing in the first
half on the back of strong demand, higher raw material costs,
improved activity in the automotive, appliance and other industrial
segments but partially offset by weak construction market in many
regions. Prices fell in the second half as demand decreased due to
uncertainty surrounding the Euro-zone sovereign debt crisis. The
fourth quarter was particularly weak owing to a sharp drop in iron
ore prices in October and renewed destocking in the wake of
uncertain economic environment.
Despite the price improvement in first-quarter 2012, there has been
a slump in pricing in the second and third quarter due to a glut in
imports, oversupply in the market from zealous steelmakers, weak
demand in Europe and tempering growth in Asia. A sustained downside
in steel prices would materially and adversely affect margins for
the fourth quarter. We feel that the recovery in pricing momentum
will be driven by a reviving economy, no further crisis in the
Euro-zone and a rebound in construction activity in the developing
countries, in particular China, India and South Korea.
A Closer Look at the Factors Affecting Steel
Prices
Rising raw material prices: The steel industry consumes
substantial amount of raw materials including iron ore, coking coal
and coke besides requiring a lot of energy. Increases in raw
material prices necessitate a corresponding increase in steel
selling prices.
However, the situation gets tricky in the wake of lower demand,
when it becomes increasingly challenging to pass on raw material
price hikes to consumers. Historically, energy prices have varied
significantly. This trend is expected to persist due to market
conditions and other factors beyond the control of steel
companies.
Overcapacity and fluctuation in steel imports-exports: The
steel industry has always suffered from overcapacity. Steel
consumption in China and other developing economies has increased
at a rapid pace. In response, steel companies have ramped up their
steel production capability with scope for further increasing
capacity.
Steel production capability, particularly in China, appears to be
surplus to China’s domestic market demand. Considering that China
is the largest steel producer, the export of the surplus steel at
subsidized prices to other markets casts a major impact on world
steel trade and prices.
Consumers in the U.S. are importing cheaper steel from China,
forcing domestic steel producers to sell at lower prices, and
sometimes even at a loss. The U.S. government has thus been
imposing anti-dumping duties on Chinese steel imports.
Economic recovery: Steel prices are generally sensitive to
changes in global and local demand, which are in turn governed by
worldwide and country-specific economic conditions and available
production capacity. Although the steel industry has been
recovering since the 2008 recession, the recent Euro-zone sovereign
debt crisis added to the still-tentative recovery in the developed
world has again created a lot of uncertainty in the market. This
has resulted in many countries suspending investment in
infrastructure and other industries, thus impacting steel
prices.
Threat from substitutes: Steel has many substitutes like
aluminum, cement, composites, glass, plastic and wood. A shift
toward other substitutes, whether due to lower costs or government
mandates on the basis of environmental or other reasons, would
significantly impact prices and demand for steel products.
Raw Material Trends
The primary inputs for the steel industry are iron ore and coking
coal, as well as coke, scrap, alloys and base metal. The industry
also uses large volumes of natural gas, electricity and oxygen for
its steel manufacturing operations.
Iron ore prices were relatively high in 2009 driven the robust
demand from China. The momentum continued in the first half of
2010. However, prices fell in the second half of 2010. After
relatively stable iron ore prices through the first nine months of
2011, iron ore prices plunged in October that year due to the
Euro-zone debt crisis and slowdown in China.
In the first half of 2012, prices were more or less stable before
plummeting to a three-year low in September. However, since then
prices have regained ground after Chinese steel mills continued to
replenish their inventories.
The iron ore industry is highly concentrated with only three major
players,
Vale S.A. (VALE),
Rio Tinto
Plc (RIO) and
BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP),
having significant pricing power.
Vale’s third quarter profits fell due to the drop in iron prices.
The miner, however, hinted toward improved iron ore prices in the
fourth quarter. It is expected that China’s $150 billion of
infrastructure spending will support iron ore prices in the future.
Furthermore, non-Chinese demand for iron ore will also show
improvement, driven by growth in some emerging economies, such as
Brazil, India and Southeast Asia.
Increase in iron ore prices will put margins of steel companies
under pressure. The companies will be able to pass on the high
input costs to customers in case demand improves.
Consolidation
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have remained an important
growth strategy in the steel industry. M&A activities prevent
additional steel capacity, providing production efficiency and
economies of scale. The biggest example is Mittal Steel’s
acquisition of Arcelor in 2006. The Tata Steel and Corus merger in
2008 is another instance of industry consolidation. After a lull
during the global economic downturn of 2008-2009, M&A activity
of various steel and mining players, including Chinese and Indian
companies, has quickly picked up.
Consolidation has been primarily driven by the urge to increase
global scale and operations, and expand into new markets. The
industry is likely to see more M&A activity in the coming years
as the industry players prepare themselves for a recovery in the
long run. Further, steel makers are now focusing on acquiring mines
or stakes in mines to secure raw materials at more competitive
prices.
A landmark development in this sector was the recent merger of
Japan's largest and world's sixth-largest steel maker Nippon Steel
Corporation with 27th-ranked Sumitomo Metal Industries to form the
world's second largest steel firm --
Nippon Steel &
Sumitomo Metal Corporation (NSSMY). With a combined
capacity of 46.1 million tons, it is set to replace China's Hebei
Group in the second position, which has a production capacity of
44.4 million tons. The merger is targeted to generate savings in
the face of increasingly intense global competition.
Going forward, the abatement of the Euro-zone crisis, recovery in
the U.S. economy and developments in the Chinese real estate and
construction sector will determine the fate of such deals. However,
given the prevailing uncertainty, we expect moderate growth in
M&A.
Steel Usage Forecasts
The World Steel Association now projects global steel usage to rise
2.1% in 2012, down from its earlier projection of a 3.6% rise
announced in April this year. This is a sharp deceleration from
6.2% growth in 2011. This reflects sharper-than-expected slowdown
of Chinese steel demand and Euro-zone debt crisis uncertainties.
Furthermore, uncertain U.S. growth outlook also loom on the
horizon.
China’s steel use in 2012 is estimated to grow 2.5% to 639.5 Mt,
following a 6.2% growth in 2011. After a weak performance in 2011,
India is expected to grow by 5.5%. In the U.S. market, steel
consumption is projected to grow to 96.5 million tons in 2012 on
the back of improvement in the construction sector, a
better-than-expected development in the automotive industry.
In Central and South America, owing to the poor external economic
environment as well as domestic tightening, apparent steel use is
expected to rise by 3.8% in 2012. Japan’s steel use is expected to
increase 2.2% to 65.5 Mt in 2012 triggered by reconstruction
efforts in the wake of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami and
government stimulus measures. Steel usage in the European Union is
expected to decline by 5.6% as sovereign debt problems persist.
On a positive note, the scenario is expected to improve in 2013.
World steel demand is expected to increase 3.2% to a record of
1,455 Mt. This is based on the premise of recovery in Europe, China
and as U.S. successfully deals with the fiscal tightening due in
2013.
China’s steel usage is expected to grow 3.1% to 659.2 Mt from the
2012 projections, aided by government stimulus measures. India is
expected to pick up pace and grow 5%, triggered by urbanization and
surging infrastructure investment. In 2013, the steel use in the
U.S. is envisioned at 100 Mt. Central and South America is expected
to grow 6.3% to 50.4 Mt in 2013. After a rise in fiscal 2012, Japan
is expected to decline 2.9% to 63.6 Mt in 2013, due to a stronger
Yen and falling exports. Europe is, however, expected to recover a
modest 2.4% in 2013.
Overall, steel demand in the developing and emerging world will
rise 3.0% in 2012 and 3.7% in 2013. In the developed world, steel
demand will dip 0.3% in 2012 and then post a 1.9% growth in
2013.
Challenges Ahead
Overcapacity: Even though demand has increased overall in
the past two years, growth in steelmaking capacity is still ahead
of demand and remains a significant challenge for the industry.
This has been further exacerbated by the European sovereign debt
crisis, which has stagnated investments in large scale projects in
Europe and reduced capital for growth.
The uncertain global economy: The steel industry was
significantly affected by the global economic crisis in 2008. Even
though it is recovering, demand has still not reached pre-recession
levels. The debt crisis in Europe remains a concern and the U.S.
has had to resort to quantitative easing to thwart sluggish
demand.
The saving grace is the spurt of growth witnessed in the developing
economies that helped counter the sluggishness in the developed
economies. Asia and particularly China continued to make up for the
stalemate in Europe and North America. However, there are signs of
cooling in China’s real estate sector, which accounts for almost
half of the total steel demand in the country.
China had cut its 2012 growth target to an eight-year low of 7.5%.
A slowing Chinese economy will have a negative impact on
infrastructure and construction spending and in turn on the steel
industry as well. However, we believe the steel industry’s
long-term story in the country remains intact, underpinned by
China’s urbanization and industrialization programs.
Dependence of margins on raw material prices: The steel
companies’ margins are dependent on the extent to which changes in
raw material prices are implemented through to steel selling
prices. The time lag between the raw material price change and the
steel selling price change, and the date of raw material purchase
and the actual sale of the steel product in which the raw material
was used, are also important factors affecting margins.
To Sum Up
Fourth quarter results will face headwinds in the form of low
prices due to overcapacity and surge of imports. Furthermore, the
European debt crisis and its potential global impact remain an
overhang on the industry. The results will also bear the brunt of
Hurricane Sandy.
Global steel demand will improve gradually in line with the
recovery in the user industries, automotive and residential
construction. Emerging and developing economies will continue to
drive growth. China’s recent attempt to bolster its economy by
approving 60 infrastructure projects worth more than $150 billion
will help lift the steel sector.
Its neighbor India is not lagging too far and will likely be a
major consumer driving the steel industry. Prices could potentially
stabilize on the back of a rebound in construction activity in the
developing countries, in particular China, India and South
Korea.
In the developed world, recessionary conditions in Europe will have
residual effects elsewhere. The Federal Reserve’s announcement of
another round of quantitative easing to boost the U.S. economy will
provide an impetus to the sector.
AK STEEL HLDG (AKS): Free Stock Analysis Report
BHP BILLITN LTD (BHP): Free Stock Analysis Report
FORD MOTOR CO (F): Free Stock Analysis Report
GENERAL MOTORS (GM): Free Stock Analysis Report
HONDA MOTOR (HMC): Free Stock Analysis Report
ARCELOR MITTAL (MT): Free Stock Analysis Report
NUCOR CORP (NUE): Free Stock Analysis Report
TOYOTA MOTOR CP (TM): Free Stock Analysis Report
VALE SA (VALE): Free Stock Analysis Report
UTD STATES STL (X): Free Stock Analysis Report
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