Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
December 14, 2015
A thank you to Keith Gunter of McElroy for sharing his annual Christmas poem for the steel industry with us. If you have anything you would like to share (tastefully) with the industry please feel free to forward them to my attention: John@SteelMarketUpdate.com
We just confirmed our last couple of speakers for our new Leadership Summit Conference which will be held in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida on March 7-9, 2016 (PGA National Resort & Spa). We will roll it out on our website tomorrow (Wednesday) and we will have a complete article about the process and the program in Thursday evening’s issue of SMU. I highly recommend the conference for executives associated with manufacturing, distribution and trading. We think we have put the bar at a new level both in content and experience. Registration is open on a first come, first served basis. If you have any questions please feel free to contact either myself or Ray Culley (John@SteelMarketUpdate.com or Ray.Culley@SteelMarketUpdate.com).
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
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.