Steel Products
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
January 11, 2013
I spent part of an afternoon with one of our customers the other day. When I was selling steel this was a common occurrence. Now my schedule and time constraints make it much more difficult and that is one of the things I miss from my steel sales days.
One of the questions this individual had, was with the new writers, how much time was I actually spending on researching and writing articles for the newsletter? I continue to do all of the research and writing associated with pricing and price trends. I evaluate all of the survey data. But, a number of months ago – as our new website project grew and grew – it became apparent that I would need to cultivate others around me to do research and write articles.
Our website project is at a point where a portion of my time each and every day is now dedicated to that project. The website we are building is much more complicated – both the public and private sections of the website – and we hope much more interesting than our existing website. Our goal is for each of you, our customers, to begin spending a portion of your day on our website – because it will be easy, different, entertaining, educational, and answer the questions you are asking yourself.
To get to that point is taking a lot of my time and that of my staff (as well as our developers). We hope you will see the results of our labors in the not too distant future.
Our Steel 101 workshop is gaining traction. You can learn more about our program and how to register on our website: www.SteelMarketUpdate.com (or you can click on the banner ad on this newsletter).
As always your business is truly appreciated.

John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest in Steel Products

Final Thoughts
The difference: The spat with Turkey was a big deal for steel. This time, the 50% reciprocal tariff for Brazil – if it goes into effect as threatened on Aug.1 – hits everything from coffee and to pig iron. It seems almost custom-built to inflict as much pain as possible on Brazil.

CRU: US rebar and wire rod prices rise alongside S232 increase
CRU Senior Steel Analyst Alexandra Anderson discusses current market and pricing dynamics for long steel products in the US.
CRU: Excessive global supply could hit rebar mill investments in US
Following the onset of the war in Ukraine in March 2022, concerns about import availability and expectations of rising demand from President Biden’s Infrastructure Bill pushed US rebar prices to record highs. In response, a flurry of new mills and capacity expansions were announced to meet the rise in demand from growth in the construction […]

Steel buyer spirits tempered by soft spot market conditions
Steel sheet buyers report feeling bogged down by the ongoing stresses of stagnant demand, news fatigue, tariff negotiations or implementation timelines, and persistent macroeconomic uncertainty.

CRU: US stainless prices to rise on expanded S232 tariffs
Stainless prices in the US market will rise, following price increases by major US producers. Our base case scenario incorporates higher US prices in the near term, despite the initial negative reaction by the market. US stainless prices will go up in 2025 H2 and will stay elevated in 2026 as tariffs on stainless […]