Steel Dynamics (STLD)
S&P 500 · Materials · data since 1996-11-22 · last close 2026-09-09
Steel Dynamics (STLD) monthly returns (%)
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6.0 | 7.5 | -6.5 | 27.0 | 13.8 | -11.6 | 9.5 | -7.4 | 3.5 | · | · | · |
| 2025 | 12.4 | 5.4 | -7.0 | 3.7 | -5.1 | 4.4 | -0.3 | 2.6 | 6.9 | 12.5 | 7.0 | 1.3 |
| 2024 | 2.2 | 10.9 | 11.1 | -12.2 | 2.9 | -2.9 | 2.9 | -10.3 | 5.9 | 3.5 | 11.3 | -21.2 |
| 2023 | 23.5 | 4.5 | -10.0 | -8.1 | -11.6 | 19.0 | -2.2 | 0.0 | 1.0 | -0.7 | 11.8 | -0.5 |
| 2022 | -10.6 | 27.1 | 18.7 | 2.8 | -0.4 | -22.1 | 17.7 | 3.6 | -11.7 | 32.6 | 10.5 | -5.7 |
| 2021 | -7.0 | 21.3 | 22.7 | 6.8 | 15.1 | -4.1 | 8.1 | 4.7 | -13.0 | 13.0 | -9.5 | 4.2 |
| 2020 | -12.2 | -10.9 | -14.3 | 7.7 | 9.4 | -0.8 | 5.1 | 7.7 | -2.2 | 9.9 | 15.0 | 2.5 |
| 2019 | 21.8 | 2.0 | -4.8 | -10.2 | -20.6 | 21.0 | 4.3 | -14.3 | 11.3 | 1.9 | 11.1 | 1.6 |
| 2018 | 5.3 | 1.9 | -4.0 | 1.3 | 10.3 | -6.7 | 2.5 | -2.9 | -0.8 | -12.4 | -11.1 | -14.1 |
| 2017 | -5.0 | 8.3 | -4.6 | 4.0 | -6.0 | 5.8 | -1.1 | -2.7 | 0.5 | 8.0 | 3.5 | 12.4 |
| 2016 | 2.7 | -0.9 | 24.5 | 12.0 | -2.1 | -0.2 | 9.5 | -8.2 | 2.1 | 9.9 | 29.2 | 0.7 |
| 2015 | -13.7 | 6.9 | 11.1 | 10.1 | -1.4 | -4.4 | -3.3 | -2.8 | -11.1 | 7.5 | -5.8 | 3.5 |
| 2014 | -15.6 | 5.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | -5.5 | 4.6 | 18.2 | 9.6 | -2.2 | 1.8 | -2.0 | -11.9 |
| 2013 | 10.8 | 0.4 | 4.7 | -5.3 | 2.1 | -2.1 | 4.4 | -1.9 | 10.3 | 7.6 | 1.3 | 7.9 |
| 2012 | 21.3 | -7.2 | -1.1 | -12.1 | -17.5 | 12.2 | 10.0 | -5.2 | -7.2 | 12.5 | 2.2 | 7.1 |
| 2011 | -0.6 | 1.4 | 2.2 | -3.1 | -6.0 | -4.4 | -3.9 | -18.5 | -21.4 | 25.9 | 5.5 | 0.5 |
| 2010 | -14.3 | 7.6 | 7.5 | -10.0 | -6.7 | -9.6 | 8.6 | -4.5 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 9.8 | 15.1 |
| 2009 | -5.0 | -21.4 | 6.6 | 41.3 | 20.0 | -0.5 | 10.5 | 1.2 | -6.9 | -12.7 | 26.4 | 5.2 |
| 2008 | -12.5 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 5.5 | 3.6 | 8.5 | -18.9 | -21.6 | -30.8 | -30.3 | -30.7 | 36.6 |
| 2007 | 20.8 | -3.8 | 14.9 | 2.6 | 5.8 | -10.3 | 0.1 | 3.5 | 8.0 | 14.0 | -5.5 | 18.7 |
| 2006 | 30.7 | -0.9 | 23.8 | 10.1 | -7.0 | 13.6 | -11.7 | -9.0 | -3.9 | 19.1 | 8.2 | 0.3 |
| 2005 | -0.2 | 17.8 | -22.4 | -21.0 | -1.3 | -2.0 | 22.5 | -2.0 | 8.0 | -8.8 | 12.0 | 2.7 |
| 2004 | -2.0 | 7.6 | 2.2 | -2.9 | 6.4 | 11.8 | 14.7 | -4.2 | 23.4 | -14.0 | 22.1 | -6.3 |
| 2003 | 10.6 | -8.8 | -3.5 | 3.4 | 10.6 | 3.0 | 9.5 | 7.0 | -5.9 | 22.5 | 7.5 | 14.9 |
| 2002 | 17.9 | -0.7 | 20.8 | 6.3 | 2.1 | -7.6 | 3.3 | -29.0 | 8.3 | -0.5 | 9.0 | -15.3 |
| 2001 | -0.6 | 13.7 | -10.6 | 28.9 | -3.6 | -9.6 | 1.6 | 5.1 | -25.9 | 5.2 | -1.1 | 12.9 |
| 2000 | -2.4 | -1.2 | -24.8 | -1.6 | -18.1 | -2.7 | 24.8 | 7.2 | -24.2 | 30.6 | -16.7 | 10.0 |
| 1999 | 41.5 | -5.3 | 5.2 | 1.9 | 1.1 | -9.3 | 14.8 | 1.4 | -12.8 | -12.8 | 0.5 | 15.9 |
| 1998 | 25.0 | -5.0 | 11.8 | 7.7 | -15.3 | -28.4 | 4.5 | -23.3 | 16.9 | 4.8 | 0.0 | -13.8 |
| 1997 | 21.6 | -14.0 | -12.5 | 11.4 | 15.4 | 11.1 | 6.0 | -4.7 | -6.9 | -9.6 | -12.9 | -13.5 |
| 1996 | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | -2.0 | 4.8 |
| Avg | 5.7 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 3.7 | -0.3 | -0.8 | 5.7 | -4.0 | -2.6 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 2.6 |
Values in %. Current and first-listed months are partial (greyed).
returnsview.com
STLD seasonality — average by calendar month
Steel Dynamics has monthly history back to 1996. Its strongest month by median is October — positive in 20 of 29 years, median +5.2%, and higher in 7 of the last 9. August is the soft spot, down in 18 of 30 with a median of -2.7%. Across its full record it has closed 57% of months higher, swings ±12.3% in an average month and has fallen 87% peak to trough.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg | +5.8% | +2.7% | +2.6% | +3.7% | -0.3% | -0.8% | +5.7% | -4.0% | -2.8% | +5.0% | +3.5% | +2.5% |
| Win rate | 53%/30 | 60%/30 | 57%/30 | 67%/30 | 47%/30 | 37%/30 | 77%/30 | 40%/30 | 45%/29 | 69%/29 | 63%/30 | 70%/30 |
Win rate = share of positive months / sample size.
STLD risk & extremes
STLD drawdown & rolling returns
Percent below the all-time high at each month-end — how far underwater the asset was.
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Frequently asked questions
What was Steel Dynamics's best month?+
Steel Dynamics's strongest completed month on record is January 1999, at +41.49%.
What was Steel Dynamics's worst month?+
Its weakest completed month on record is September 2008, at -30.84%.
Is Steel Dynamics up this year?+
Steel Dynamics is up 42.80% year to date, measured from its last close before 1 January.
What is Steel Dynamics's 1-year return?+
+86.94% over the past twelve months, comparing the latest close with the most recent close on or before the same date a year earlier.
What is Steel Dynamics's biggest drawdown?+
The deepest peak-to-trough fall on record is 87.0%, measured on month-end closes since 1996.
Which calendar month is historically best for Steel Dynamics?+
January has the highest average return across every completed January since 1996. An average is not a forecast.
About Steel Dynamics
Steel Dynamics is an S&P 500 company, a materials business worth about $34 billion. It supplies the raw ingredients everyone else takes credit for — with price receipts on this site going back to 1996. And the long game: $100 at its first close here (1996) would be about $8,099 today.
Did you know?
- Its best month on record was January 1999 at +41.49%; its worst, September 2008 at -30.84%.
- It has closed July in the green 23 out of 30 times — not a promise, just a suspicious habit.
Trivia for entertainment — the numbers come from our price data; the jokes don't.