Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
November 15, 2017
I have a feeling if I were to write a long drawn-out final thoughts article that our readers would shoot me… I think we have 16 articles in tonight’s newsletter – many of them top-line articles (price increases, MSCI data, Sentiment, Lead Times, Negotiations, Section 232, etc.). What you don’t know is we actually moved five articles out of this newsletter to Sunday evening’s issue…
By the way, if there are any SBQ buyers out there, give me a call (or shoot me an email). Just trying to help out another SBQ end user who asked me a question I couldn’t answer (and I always try to answer questions when asked). You can reach me at 800-432-3475 or at John@SteelMarketUpdate.com
Quick note about next week’s publishing schedule. We will publish a larger than normal newsletter on Sunday evening…. Then we publish as normal on Tuesday. Thursday is Thanksgiving in the United States and I have to give my exceptional employees the day off (and as much of the weekend as possible). Since we will be publishing a thicker than normal newsletter this Sunday we will publish a thinner than normal one on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
While I am talking about Holidays. One of the issues with having motivated employees is they don’t take a lot of time off. So, I fixed them and insisted that everyone take off the week between Christmas and New Year’s. For the first time since I started Steel Market Update I am going to leave the country for 12 days at that same time. Don’t worry, I am still a workaholic and I have made arrangements to make sure I have internet and my phone works while traveling (at least when we are near land with cell towers). If something happens I will cover it…
If you started reading from the top and you finally got to here – well, thank you for plowing through tonight’s issue.
And, as always, your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update – tell your steel friends about us…
John Packard, Publisher
John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest in Final Thoughts
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?
Final Thoughts
Given the news about tariffs and bringing back industries to the US, a brief look back in time may show how our economy changes with technological advances and the shifting economies of scale.
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.