Steel market expected flat for 2013

"For (2013), we think demand will be fine for the industry as a whole," a flat-rolled service center source said. He noted that the agriculture, automotive and energy sectors are particularly robust and should help prop up overall demand for flat-rolled steel products. According to Lexington, Mass.-based consultancy IHS Global Insight Inc., automotive demand in 2013 will continue to be strong. And the construction sector is expected to remain relatively stable into 2013, although some sources point to indications of a rebound. "Construction is tending in the right direction," a second mill source said. "I think the back half of the year will be better than the first." In nonresidential construction, "I think there's huge pent-up demand." "This masks the real situation relative to demand," the coated materials distributor source said. "We get caught up in these short-term spikes... (but) we've got an overcapacity situation."