Question-and-Answer Session
[Operator Instructions] Your first question comes from the line of Chris Olin from Cleveland Research, please proceed.
Chris Olin - Cleveland Research
How are you doing?
Anne L. Stevens - Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Good morning Chris.
Chris Olin - Cleveland Research
Just a little bit more on your guidance, I appreciate the color you provided, but just to try to help me with my modeling, can you compare maybe expectations versus the second quarter? I know you said results might not hit that third quarter number, but how are you looking sequentially?
K. Douglas Ralph - Senior Vice President - Finance and Chief Financial Officer
Yes, Chris, we're not going to go down the path of specific quarterly guidance, but what I would point out is that we are up against an exceptionally strong base period comparison if you look at our year ago numbers. And I would just stick with the comment we made on the third quarter and Anne's statement that we might not surpass that record last year third quarter result.
Chris Olin - Cleveland Research
Fair enough. Question on stainless steel, it seems like the data points may be getting better in the sense that inventories were getting drawn down and there could be a potential for a channel fill, at the same time the import situation is getting a little bit better. I am just wondering if you're seeing any kind of pickup in stainless orders or how you are feeling about that specific market.
Anne L. Stevens - Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Yes, I think at the distributors, the business there is always impacted with economic indicators and the slump in the market. The other thing that impacted is the nickel prices. But you look at it month by month and some months it's up and some months it's down, and it's just really hard to predict what that one is going to be. But I believe it will track confidence in the economic market, but as you pointed out, many of them have drained inventories and with the drained inventories, we do see reordering of stock.
Chris Olin - Cleveland Research
Okay. So you are seeing better orders today?
Anne L. Stevens - Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Yes.
Chris Olin - Cleveland Research
And then a final question I have is your alliance with Titanium Metals, is there any kind of benefit from that in the numbers today, or is that a more of a future type of impact?
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