Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
February 22, 2016
We have been hard at work on our 2016 Steel Summit Conference. There is no doubt in my mind that this will be the best conference program we have ever assembled and one of the finest networking opportunities for those involved in the steel industry. I want everyone to know that I am open to suggestions on what you would like to see (example: stronger speaker on world steel market – we are working on that). Please let me know what you liked, who you liked from past years. If there is someone out there you have heard speak in the past and you think they would be a good fit for our conference please let me know: John@SteelMarketUpdate.com
We picked up another keynote speaker today as we received a commitment from Chris Oakley, Vice President of the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank. The Federal Reserve Bank has promised us that our attendees will not be disappointed with Mr. Oakley. He joins other presenters which include Mark Millett, President & CEO of Steel Dynamics; Lourenco Goncalves, Chairman, President & CEO of Cliffs Natural Resources; Dr. Alan Beaulieu, Institute for Trend Research, Timna Tanners, Metals & Mining Analyst, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Lawrence Kavanagh, President, SMDI and many more. We hope to have another announcement of a major steel figure joining our group later this week.
Save the dates: August 29, 30, 31st as we host our 6th Steel Summit Conference. Location: Georgia International Convention Center, Atlanta, Georgia. Host hotel: Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway Hotel.
We are also planning on hosting a one day Managing Price Risk workshop following the conference (September 1st). More details on that to follow.
As always your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.
John Packard, Publisher

John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest in Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts
President Trump’s tariff policies have a lot more in common with a roundabout than you’d think.

Final Thoughts
The difference: The spat with Turkey was a big deal for steel. This time, the 50% reciprocal tariff for Brazil – if it goes into effect as threatened on Aug.1 – hits everything from coffee and to pig iron. It seems almost custom-built to inflict as much pain as possible on Brazil.

Final Thoughts
Are we on the cusp of sorting out the tariff situation, or is this merely another round in the bout?

Final Thoughts
I’m not sure how many different ways I can write that it’s been a quiet market ahead of Independence Day. There are variations on that theme. I’ve heard everything from the ominous “eerily quiet” to "getting better" and even the occasional “blissfully unaware” (because I’m enjoying my vacation).

Final Thoughts
What's going to be the next big thing in steel?