Recycling, Scrap Metal, Commodities and Economic Report

This is the Commodities, Scrap Metal, Recycling and Economic Report, February 5th, 2024.

weekly tonnage of raw steel production

U.S. weekly raw steel production rose slightly to 1.68MT on slow U.S. manufacturing.

Crude Oil

WTI crude oil price fell to $72.28/b., on good global production and concerns about China’s low growth.

US Field Production of Crude Oil

U.S. weekly crude oil production rose to 13.0Mb/d, near the all-time record. This was as good prices are bringing high U.S. production.

Oil Rig Count

The U.S. weekly oil rig count was steady at 499 on good prices and great productivity per well.

AMM Weekly Heavy Melt

Scrap steel #1 HMS price was steady at $380/GT on steady demand. Most believe February prices will be sideways.

Hot Roll Coil

Hot-roll coil steel price fell to $50.63/cwt, $1,013/T on slow demand and good supply.

Copper

Copper price fell to $3.82/lb., on mixed Chinese manufacturing data.

Aluminum

Aluminum price fell to $1.01/lb., $2,237/mt on slow office building construction.

Chinese January NBS Manufacturing PMI

Chinese January NBS Manufacturing PMI. This is official Chinese government data. It rose to 49, but under 50 means contraction. The industry’s CAXIN data, not shown here was steady at 50.8, so slow expansion.

U.S. January New Jobs Report

U.S. January New Jobs report rose to 353,000 way above forecast. Professional & business services rose the most.

U.S. January Total Employment

U.S. January total employment, rose to 157.7M a new record in American history. Job growth is very good, despite high interest rates.

U.S. January Unemployment Rate

The U.S. January Unemployment rate remained at 3.7%, near the 70 year low as the labor market remains tight.

U.S. January U of M Consumer Sentiment Survey

U.S. January U of M Consumer sentiment survey. It was revised higher to 79, the highest in 2.5 years. People are finally feeling the higher wages, lower inflation, and more jobs.

Dow Jones

Wall Street’s Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 545 points to 38,654, another all-time high in American History. Some say this is better than a Goldilocks economy. Inflation is falling, salaries are rising faster than inflation and new jobs are rising.

Two Container Trailer

Roll off trailers, two container trailer, double box are back in stock. A great way to double your productivity. These are heavy duty, but light to carry maximum loads. Call BENLEE at 734-722-8100 for a quote.

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Greg & Nancy

This report is brought to you by BENLEE roll off trailers, gondola trailers, lugger trucks and roll off trailer parts. Greg Brown reporting from Cambodia.

As always, feel free to call or email me with any questions and we hope all have a safe and profitable week.