Final Thoughts
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Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
February 15, 2016
A reminder that our next Steel 101: Introduction to Steel Making & Market Fundamentals workshop will be just outside of Toledo, Ohio and we will be touring a mill as one of the best run mini-mills in the country – North Star Bluescope Steel. You can find more details about our program, instructors, hotel and registration on our website. This workshop is excellent for new hires, people who are rising through the ranks (or expected to rise), new executives that may have come from outside the industry, someone wanting to learn more about the steel making process as well as how steel is sold and some of the fundamentals that affect the markets. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at: Info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
I will be in Tampa tomorrow afternoon/evening attending the Port of Tampa Steel Conference. If you would like to set up a specific time to meet with me during the conference you can send me an email at: John@SteelMarketUpdate.com or text me at: 770-596-6268. I will return to our offices on Friday of this week.
Over the past month LME zinc prices have moved higher. In the middle of January we saw zinc trading around $0.66 per pound. This week it has been trading just above $0.75 per pound.
Aluminum has been trading in a much tighter range with a low around $0.66 per pound in mid-January to today’s $0.6927 per pound.
I want to thank Big River Steel for coming on as a Corporate Sponsor to this year’s Steel Summit Conference in Atlanta at the end of August (29-31st). They join our other sponsors committed to date: Pacesetter Steel, Steel Dynamics and Magic Coil Products. We have more sponsorship as well as exhibition spaces available. You can find information on our website or you can request information by sending an email to: Info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
I also want to welcome our newest member companies to Steel Market Update. If you have any questions, would like to learn more about website access and the data we house there or if you have any suggestions please do not hesitate to contact us at: Info@SteelMarketUpdate.com or by phone: 800-432-3475.
As always your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.
John Packard, Publisher
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John Packard
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Final thoughts
SMU has heard from some larger buyers who have stepped back into the market to buy at prices that, if not at a bottom, they assess to be close to one. Is it enough to stretch out lead times and send prices upward again? Or do we continue to scrape along the mid-$600s per short ton (st) as we have been doing for most of the last month?
![](https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/images/Featured_News_Icons/gears.png)
Final thoughts
Cleveland-Cliffs Chairman, President and CEO Lourenco Goncalves had some insightful things to say today about the steel market and about a conference we suspect might be Steel Summit.
![](https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/images/Featured_News_Icons/gears.png)
Final thoughts
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, when you add in some commentary from respected peers in the steel industry to those pictures, that may shoot you up to five thousand words, at least. In that spirit, we’ve added some snapshots from our market survey this week, along with some comments from market participants.
![](https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/images/Featured_News_Icons/gears.png)
Final thoughts
I thought we’d have more clarity this week on Section 232, Mexico, and a potential carve-out for steel melted and poured in Brazil. As of right now, the only official comment I have is from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
![](https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/SMU-Steel-Summit.png)
Final thoughts
There are just 40 days left until the 2024 SMU Steel Summit gets underway on Aug. 26 at the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) in Atlanta. And I’m pleased to announce that it's official now: More than 1,000 people have registered to at attend! Another big development: The desktop version of the networking app for the event has officially launched!