Overall, demand is light, and oil and gas is very slow, therefore it is anticipated to remain a very competitive market for both import and domestic products.

NYMEX domestic hot-rolled coil steel prices were $585 per ton for January futures ($557 per ton in the last update).  

As 2020 kicks off, the market is still rather quiet on both the customer and vendor sides of the equation. 

Nickel prices have risen over the past 30 days to @$6.48 per lb. ($6.14 in the last update.

The producer price index for copper tube and fittings was up 0.8% month-over-month (down 0.1% in the last update) and was down 3.3% year-over-year (also down 3.3% Y/Y last month). 

Producer prices for HDPE pipe were down 0.9% M/M (down 0.7% last month) and were down 3.8% Y/Y (down 4.5% Y/Y last month).  

Valve prices, according to the Producer Price Index, were flat month-over-month in December (up 0.2% M/M last month). 

Supply remains strong, supporting demand across geography and vertical markets. 

Multiple domestic manufacturers filed a trade case targeting India and Korea. 

We expect to see a ~5% increase by mid‐2020 on the back of projected steel scrap / CW pipe increases.