US Steel (NYSE:X), AK Steel Holding Corporation (NYSE:AKS), Cliffs Natural Resources Inc (NYSE:CLF) and Nucor (NYSE:NUE) are all up today on news from Arcelor Mittal (NYSE:MT) they're going to raise prices, and the possibility of getting more business from an infrastructure initiative from the White House.
Another factor was the announced shuttering of steel plants in China for a couple of weeks in order to deal with the glut of steel in the market at this time. That could give more pricing power to the steel companies.
Finally, the PMI report from China showed they were growing at a better rate than thought, and that suggests better commodity demand, including steel.
China has hinted of moving their infrastructure projects to rural areas instead of urban areas, as the property markets in urban areas are in danger of a bubble.
The one element that has proven legs in all of this is pricing power, which most steel companies will probably engage in in response to Arcelor Mittal. The rest is highly speculative and unproven, although a possibility.
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