Hottest Steelmaker Stock: U.S. Steel

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Whither the steel business? Considered a leading indicator of the health of the world economy, the steelmaking industry has seen its fair share of news recently.

This week, there was the speculation about a U.S.-China trade war spilling into the sector (with Nucor's(NUE Quote) outspoken chief endorsing a tariff on Chinese steel imports); word that prices for domestic hot-rolled coil steel are increasing, even as word that prices for the Chinese stuff are trending lower; and further statements from Nucor's boss that real demand for steel hasn't improved much, if at all, echoing sentiment from European suppliers.

Our question asked you to select the best positioned of five big steel players -- U.S. Steel(X Quote), ArcelorMittal(MT Quote), Nucor, AK Steel(AKS Quote) and Steel Dynamics(STLD Quote) -- for share price appreciation over the near term.

The winner? The iconic U.S. Steel, which garnered 30.2% of your clicks. As if in response, the Pittsburgh company's stock advanced a little more than 7% for the week, though it did retreat slightly in Friday's session, closing at $49.15. Volumes were heavy throughout all five days.

In close second place was Nucor, with 28.3% of the vote. The mini-mill operator's stock also posted a strong week, adding 7.4%.

Rounding out the results were Steel Dynamics (18.2%), ArcelorMittal (12.8%) and, in last place, AK Steel (10.6%).

-- Written by Scott Eden in New York

Follow TheStreet.com on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.