Steel production rises in the US

According to data released this week by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), domestic raw steel production rose to 2.096 million net tons during the week ended June 3, 2006. This is a net increase from the previous week, in which 2.078 million net tons were produced, and an increase from the week ended June 3, 2005, in which 1.929 million net tons were produced. The areas that produced the most steel during the week ended June 3, 2006 were the Southern district, in which 654,000 net tons were produced, and the Indiana/Chicago area, in which 542,000 net tons were produced. Year-to-date percent capacity utilization for the week ended June 3, 2006 was 87.2 percent, down from 88.4 YTD percent capacity utilization for the same week of last year.