Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
August 19, 2016
I expect the next seven days will be quite hectic in my life and those of our SMU team as we make final preparations for the 2016 Steel Summit Conference. I will actually be traveling to Georgia on Wednesday and will work from there until the conference has concluded. We do have a few spots open but the conference is about as close to being sold out as we can get. We are actually counting on a few people not showing up each day. If not, we will be standing room only…
I think it is important to recognize everyone who has been actively involved in making this our best conference ever. First, our speakers without whom our conference would be just another event. Thank you to: Mark Millett (Steel Dynamics), Roger Newport (AK Steel), Lourenco Goncalves (Cliffs Natural Resources), Mark Bula (Big River Steel), Alan Beaulieu (Institute for Trends Research, Christopher Oakley (Federal Research Bank of Atlanta), John Anton (IHS Global Insight), Tony Taccone (First River Consulting), Gaurav Chhibbar (Cargill Metals), John Farley (McNichols), John Ganem (Kloeckner Metals), Lawrence Kavanagh (Steel Market Development Institute), Lewis Leibowitz (The Law Office of Lewis E. Leibowitz), Lisa Reisman (MetalMiner), Thom Romer (Worthington), Jaynie Smith (Smart Advantage), Timna Tanners (Bank of America Merrill Lynch), Diane Thielfoldt (The Learning Cafe), Jeff Widenor (Precoat Metals).
Our sponsors and exhibitors: Pacesetter Steel, Mill Steel, Big River Steel, Tennessee Steel Haulers, Steel Dynamics, Nucor, Alliance Steel, Magic Coil Products, Cargill, Kenwal, MidWest Materials, ITR Economics, Association of Steel Distributors, Georgia Ports Authority and Smart Advantage.
And my staff: Ray Culley, Brett Linton, Diana Packard, Sandy Williams, Peter Wright, Mario Briccetti, Steve Painter, John Eckstein and our newest employee Alison LaLonde. Working with our staff is our website developer: K3 Tech.
Now the hard work begins as we head for the finish line. I hope we will see you in Atlanta. If not, don’t fear, there is always next year and the dates have been set: August 28-30, 2017 in Atlanta.
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
Sure, demand isn’t as good the market had hoped it would be earlier this year. But assuming it doesn’t fall of a cliff, buyers will have to restock at some point. And that might give domestic mills enough leverage to raise prices again.
Final Thoughts
While I would anticipate market sentiment to pivot and improve if all the questions around tariffs were answered, that still leaves us with a few other factors.
Final Thoughts
Let's see what SMU survey respondents are saying about Trump's tariffs.
Final Thoughts
The Tariff Town amusement park ride shows no signs of slowing down.
Final Thoughts
Cliffs came tantalizing close to buying U.S. Steel in 2023. There were rumors in 2024 that Cliffs might buy NLMK USA before it ultimately purchased Stelco for $2.5 billion in November of last year. Who would have thought that asset sales would have been the focal point of discussion just six months later?