US steel shipments show rise year-on-year
The data released by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) shows that US steel mills shipped 9.03 million net tons in November with a rise of 6.4% compared to 8.49 million net tons shipped in the same period of last year. However, November shipments were 3.2% lower than the 9.33 million net tons recorded in October 2004. In the first eleven months of the year, steel shipments reached 103.8 million net tons, revealing a 7.6% increase compared to 96.51 million net tons registered in the corresponding period of last year. Shipment comparisons in major market classifications on year-to-year basis:Service centers-distributors: up by 5.5% Automotive: up by 5.6% Construction, contractors' products: up by 6.9% Oil and gas: up by 12.3% Machinery, industrial equip., tools: up by 19.2% Appliances, utensils, cutlery: up by 4.2% Containers, packaging, shipping materials: down by 0.5% Electrical equipment: down by 6.5%