Yesterday, AK Steel (AKS) warned investors that earnings would be lower than expected partly due to increasing material costs (mainly iron ore). Today, AK Steel told its customers that prices will increase as part of an effort to recoup some of those rising material costs. These price hikes are also enabled by strong demand for stainless steel products.
AKS will raise prices for specialty flat-rolled stainless steel products by about 5% to 10%. These products include “…tensilized, bright annealed and special finishes, along with special mechanical requirements.”
Full disclosure: author owns shares of AKS