Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
September 2, 2013
When is Sunday really Monday and Tuesday suppose to be Wednesday…? One of the changes SMU is making is to date our newsletters on the day they are actually produced and sent. So, you will note that tonight’s newsletter is dated, Tuesday, September 3rd as opposed to Wednesday, September 4th.
SMU will produce three Executive Newsletters per week – on Sunday evening, Tuesday evening and Thursday evening with the exception of holidays and the week between Christmas and New Years.
We are conducting our early September steel market analysis this week. Invitations were sent out at 7:30 AM on Tuesday morning and reminders will go out at 8:00 AM ET tomorrow (Wednesday). Please take a moment to find your invite, click on the link and fill out our questionnaire.
What to watch this week: scrap prices for the month of June, SMU Steel Buyers Sentiment Index, lead times and mill negotiations.
As always your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.

John Packard
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Final Thoughts
Sure, demand isn’t as good the market had hoped it would be earlier this year. But assuming it doesn’t fall of a cliff, buyers will have to restock at some point. And that might give domestic mills enough leverage to raise prices again.

Final Thoughts
While I would anticipate market sentiment to pivot and improve if all the questions around tariffs were answered, that still leaves us with a few other factors.

Final Thoughts
Let's see what SMU survey respondents are saying about Trump's tariffs.

Final Thoughts
The Tariff Town amusement park ride shows no signs of slowing down.

Final Thoughts
Cliffs came tantalizing close to buying U.S. Steel in 2023. There were rumors in 2024 that Cliffs might buy NLMK USA before it ultimately purchased Stelco for $2.5 billion in November of last year. Who would have thought that asset sales would have been the focal point of discussion just six months later?