Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
March 13, 2019
There are reports about a myriad of meetings between the USTR, Mexico and Canada as the sides try to come to some form of resolution regarding the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum. I continue to hear that the move is to not reduce the traditional level of imports from these two countries. In my mind that means the U.S. is still pushing for quotas.
From time to time we will be publishing CRU-based articles with a “read more” link at the end. If you click on the read more link you will be taken to the CRU website where you can read the article in its entirety. You will not need to sign up or buy anything in order to access the full article. The affected article in this evening’s issue is about the turn in sheet prices and the CRU forecast for future HRC pricing. Of course, you are welcome to look around the CRU website and I am sure they would welcome you as a new customer for their products (they have hundreds…).
Registration is now open for the May 14-15 Steel 101: Introduction to Steel Making & Market Fundamentals workshop. This workshop will be held in Davenport, Iowa, and will include a tour of the SSAB steel mill located just outside of Davenport. You can find more details on our website: www.SteelMarketUpdate.com/events/steel101
Tim Triplett is attending the Platts North American Steel Conference in Chicago and will report on what he heard there in Sunday’s issue.
A quick note to let everyone know I will be traveling all of next week as I head to Monterrey, Mexico, to visit Ternium, which has agreed to host one of our future Steel 101 workshops in Monterrey. I am going down to get the lay of the land, tour one of their mills and interview their CEO.
I have also heard from a mill in Europe, where we are working toward doing our first European Steel 101 workshop later this year.
To say I have been busy would be an understatement. We (CRU and SMU teams) are working on many new projects that include new conferences, workshops and products that will benefit our existing customers and attract new customers. Stay tuned.
If you are on a free trial and would like to become a new subscriber, you can do so by contacting Paige Mayhair at 724-720-1012 or by email at Paige@SteelMarketUpdate.com. Existing customers can renew or change your membership level through Paige.
As always, your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.
John Packard, President & CEO
John Packard
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Final Thoughts
With the US presidential election decided, ‘wait and see’ has quickly turned into ‘we’re about to find out.’ Following Donald Trump’s victory, I had a chance to sit down with Kevin Dempsey, president and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). He gave his thoughts on what he thought we might see in Trump’s second term in office, and what it means for steel.
Final Thoughts
Votes were still being counted when this column posted on Tuesday evening. And I’d be surprised if we know who the president will be by the time some of you are reading it on Wednesday morning.
Final Thoughts
Next week promises to be a big week for the country. Could even top the World Series (congrats to the Dodgers). As we all hold our breath to see what happens next, it’s a good time to reflect.
Final Thoughts
It’s official. U.S. Steel has made the first coil at Big River Steel 2 (BRS2). We congratulate the company and all the hard work that went into achieving that milestone. USS said BRS2 would begin shipments to customers this quarter. And we’re assuming those volumes will increase into Q1'25.
Final Thoughts
Nucor said it is seeking $740 per short ton (st) for hot-rolled (HR) coil this week, up $20/st from last week. USS, meanwhile, is shooting for up $30/st for sheet products in general. (USS did not announce a target price for HR.)