Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
May 16, 2014
On Monday we will begin our next flat rolled steel market analysis. We will be sending out approximately 600 invitations to participate in our survey. If you receive an invitation please click on the link contained in the message and spend a few minutes responding to our inquiries.
The ArcelorMittal Cleveland C-5 blast furnace is supposed to come back online this week. We also expect to see improvements out of Great Lakes as their steelmaking operations started up on Tuesday of this past week. It normally takes anywhere from a few days to up to a couple of weeks to get furnaces and the BOP back up and running efficiently.
I want to welcome our newest members. We encourage questions, comments or suggestions either about content in our newsletters or on our website. We can be reached at: info@SteelMarketUpdate.com or by phone at 800-432-3475.
As always your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.
John Packard, Publisher
John Packard
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Final Thoughts
Tariff-related noise aside, there is one basic factor keeping buyers on the sidelines. Despite recent declines, HR prices remain at historically high levels. And there is no obvious support to keep them there.
Final Thoughts
United Airlines raised eyebrows earlier this month when it provided two forecasts for 2025 – one assuming a relatively stable economy and another assuming a recession. The reason? Uncertainty around the impact of President Trump’s policy shocks on the broader economy. And it sometimes feels like we’re seeing a battle between those two narratives (stable vs recession) play out within in the pages of this newsletter.
Final Thoughts
Despite some scary headlines lately (especially about Trump potentially firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell) this is not October 2008 (financial crisis) or March 2020 (onset of the pandemic). But it sure seems like we’ve taken a relatively strong economy and poured a thick sauce of uncertainty over it.
Final Thoughts
I put some of our survey data through ChatGpt, with interesting results.
Final Thoughts
Nearly 50% of respondents to our latest survey thought hot-rolled coil prices have already peaked. And where will those prices be two months from now? Responses were decidedly split on that question.