US Employers Added 312,000 Jobs in December US employers added 312,000 jobs in December, the fastest pace since February and wages surged, suggesting the economy maintained strong momentum at the end of 2018 even as financial markets sank. WSJ The Chicago Business Barometer eased to 65.4 in December from 66.4 in November. Three of the [...]
The Latest Round of Price Increases by Gerdau The latest round of price increases by Gerdau are set to become effective with September 1 shipments-on July 20. Prices for all grade of special bar quality (SBQ) steel remained flat month on month, in the United States, but market participants anticipate an increase once recently announced [...]
Agriculture Remains in the Doldrums “Prices for key agricultural products have fallen from their peaks in recent years while input costs have not fallen much. Consequently, many farm operations in the Midwest have had lower revenues and thinner profit margins-and even some losses…. Bob Young, chief economist and deputy executive director, American Farm Bureau Federation, [...]
US Raw Steel Production Jumped 1.9% Last Week US raw steel production jumped 1.9 percent last week as mills operated at an ACUR of 73.3 percent. In the corresponding week last year mills operated at an ACUR of 68.7 percent. On the year mills have produced prox 7,000,000 tons compared to the prox 6,500,000 tons [...]
The Dow Industrials topped 20,000 Wednesday morning in early trading. Trump Trade… CFNAI Increased in December Led by improvements in production related indicators the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) increased to +0.14 in December from -0.33 in November. Three of the four broad categories that make up the index increased from November. The index’s [...]
