Final Thoughts

One of the interesting tidbits that came out of the ArcelorMittal conference call last week was their intention of taking down the #7 blast furnace at Indiana Harbor for two months beginning in May.

They also discussed the purchase of ThyssenKrupp which they feel will be completed by the end of March (end of 1st Quarter). They have not been able to communicate directly with the commercial department at the mill but noted that TK Alabama was running at approximately 3 million metric ton per year level. The mill is essentially full at approximately 4.2 million metric tons due to the stainless conversion agreement they have. It appears AM does not intend to back off any tonnage. They are targeting automotive and energy sectors as their primary focus coming out of the gate.