Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF) holds the distinction of being the largest producer of iron ore pellets in North America. It is also a major supplier of direct-shipping lump and fines iron ore out of Australia and is also a significant producer of metallurgical coal. It competes with other international mining and natural resources companies like Vale (VALE), BHP Billiton (BHP) and the Rio Tinto (RIO) group.

We maintain a $103 price estimate for Cliffs Natural Resources stock, roughly 8% ahead of market price.

ArcelorMittal (MT) is currently the largest steel manufacturer in the world, formed by the merger of two steel giants, Arcelor and Mittal in 2006. The company competes with other international Steel giants like BaoSteel, Posco, Nippon Steel and ThyssenKrupp.

Our price estimate for Arcelor Mittal stands at $40.67, roughly 10% above market price.

ArcelorMittal (MT) is currently the largest steel manufacturer in the world, formed by the merger of two steel giants, Arcelor and Mittal in 2006. The company competes with other international Steel giants like BaoSteel, Posco, Nippon Steel and ThyssenKrupp.

Our price estimate for Arcelor Mittal stands at $40.67, roughly 10% above market price.

Every day I marvel at all the silly things that happen in the marketplace, the missed opportunities and the overlooked bargains. Mini-mill steel company Nucor Corp. (NUE) is certainly one of them.

I understand that the construction industry is in the dumps and the auto industry has barely come back to life. There is no question that Nucor has fallen on tough times. However, that is what creates the investment opportunity. If you want to make a lot of money, you must find high-quality companies during their business lulls and not be afraid to put your money to work.

It appears the reviews of U.S. Steel (X), first discussed here on April 15, 2009 at a price of $27.61, just can't keep up with the steelmaker's performance.

Originally expected earn only a slight profit in 2010, look for U.S. Steel to return solidly to the profit side of the ledger, aided by a likely 40-50% surge in revenue this year.

The reason? The U.S./global economic recoveries, which are driving large increases in steel demand. Durable goods and big ticket items like washers, driers, and kitchen ranges require steel, and their bullish trend bodes well for X.

A new method of setting the price on iron ore for export is upsetting Chinese and European steel makers and auto manufacturers, but that same pricing scheme is most likely going to benefit U.S. steelmakers such as AK Steel (AKS), Nucor (NUE) and U.S. Steel (X).

In the past, iron ore pricing was largely set on an annual basis, with the first negotiated ore contracts of the season setting the price for the duration of that season. However, this year, the three largest iron ore miners, BHP Billiton (BHP), Rio Tinto (RTP) and Vale SA (VALE), have decided that they will seek quarterly renegotiation of ore contract pricing. This will allow those companies to take better advantage of increases in iron ore demand and spikes in spot prices.

ArcelorMittal (MT) was downgraded to hold from buy at ING, which noted that "major price increases imminent for iron ore and coking coal, we believe the steel industry may suffer from cost increases on the order of 35%, as new contract prices are set."

ING believes steel prices will rise 10% to 20%, which would then put the industry under pressure. If this scenario were to come to fruition, MT's costs could increase by roughly 15%. Although these increases are less than MT's peers, ING prefers putting money in "diversified mining shares."

I've upgraded steel processor Worthington Industries (WOR) to buy from the hold rating issued on October 9, 2009, at a price of $13.65. Here's why:

Worthington's stock has broken the uptrend line at about $12, and eliminated the bear hug concern from about three months ago. WOR was first recommended with a buy rating on June 10, 2009, at a price of $15.05.

For now, I'm placing a Hold on Worthington Industries' (NYSE: WOR) shares, first recommended with a Buy rating on June 10, 2009 at a price of $15.05.

The steel processing sector was one of those fields that was rudely treated by Wall Street as the U.S. and global recessions took hold, and niche player Worthington did not escape the aforementioned.

I'm Reiterating my Buy rating for United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X), first recommended on April 15, 2009 at a price of $27.61. Shares are up a cool 59.5% since that time.

The rationale for owning X's shares remains the same: US Steel will likely be a survivor in the consolidating global steel sector with sufficient scale to either produce raw materials and acquire raw material assets.

As we saw in yesterday's earnings preview, AK Steel Holding Corp. (NYSE: AKS) was expected to post a loss for its second quarter, but the good news is that the loss was less than analysts had been expecting to see.

Going into this morning's earnings announcement, analysts had been expecting the company to post a loss of 51 cents per share, but the company was able to show a better than expected loss of just 43 cents per share. While it is good to see the company beat estimates, we still have to keep in mind that during the same period last year the company was able to show earnings of $1.29 per share.

AK Steel Holding Corporation (NYSE: AKS) is due to report earnings tomorrow before the market opens, and the company is expected to post another quarterly loss.

The current recession has been tough on steel makers, and Ohio based AK Steel is no exception. The company has been forced to lower prices and lay off workers in the wake of slumping demand for its steel products.

The market's recent rise has bid-up many growth stocks, but bargains still exist, and Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (NASDAQ: VALE) is one.

Wall Street punished Brazil-based iron ore and pellet producer Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, or simply Vale, as it became clear international demand for steel would decline with the onset of the global recession, taking shares down from the $44-range to about $9.

Nucor (NYSE: NUE - option chain) shares are rising today after iron-ore miner Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) agreed to cut its iron ore prices for Japan's Nippon Steel Corp by more than 30%. The steelmakers have already been driven lower as demand for their product has slowed, but now they are less likely to be charged boom-time prices for their raw materials on top of that. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on NUE.

NUE opened this morning at $39.44. So far today the stock has hit a low of $39.14 and a high of $41.41. As of 11:35, NUE is trading at $41.25 up 1.16 (2.9%). The chart for NUE looks bearish and S&P gives NUE a negative 2 STARS (out of 5) sell ranking.

The whole world watches China when it comes to the natural resource play. Iron ore and steel companies have watched their share prices swing wildly based on news coming out of the Middle Kingdom in terms of what Chinese mills will be buying and how much they are willing to pay (particularly for the annual iron ore negotiations). Of late, the steel and iron sector has bounced nicely based on rising Chinese demand. Now noises coming out of China's government imply the steel bounce might have been inflated demand numbers. (via FT Alphaville).