Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
February 6, 2015
Just a quick note to let everyone know I will be in Tampa later this week for the Port of Tampa Steel Conference. I will be reporting on what I learned in Thursday evening’s edition of Steel Market Update.
I want to take a moment to welcome our newest members and to remind them that we are open to comments, questions and suggestions. A number of our articles each week come from suggestions from our readers. We also react to comments such as one reader who was interested in a particular graph that we had shared in an article. So, we put the data on our website in an interactive graph for all of our clients to enjoy. I can be reached at: John@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 – please go tell your friends about us…
John Packard, Publisher

John Packard
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Final Thoughts
We’ve talked about tariffs ad nauseam for much of the year. And I’m afraid this topic isn’t going away anytime soon. There’s a feeling that the tariff “can” will just be kicked down the road again and again, and again.

Final Thoughts
Can technology help with pig iron and DRI/HBI tariffs?

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.