Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
November 15, 2019
Do you think the country is going to be a little distracted this week with all the witnesses in President Trump’s impeachment hearings? A reminder of the results of one of our real-time polls where 53 percent of the 493 individuals responding to a question about who they were going to vote for in the presidential race in 2020 answered President Trump. President Trump can get wet, but he doesn’t seem to rust….
On Monday we will begin our mid-November flat rolled and plate steel market trends survey as we look to better understand this market. Invitations will be sent out at 8 AM ET.
If you would like to be included, please send me a note at John@SteelMarketUpdate.com
Cold air has come all the way to South Florida where earlier today I got up close to a lizard who was desperately trying to catch some heat off my brick sidewalk. The lizard (seen here in the picture to the left) was alive and well as I reached down to touch it. However, the 60 some odd degrees seemed a bit much for this cold-blooded creature who is used to 70’s at night and 80’s during the day at this time of the year. He refused to budge off the somewhat warm brick no matter how much I prodded him…
Why do I bring up the plight of this poor lizard? I thought it would be a great segue to mention that our next Steel 101 workshop will be held in beautiful Southern California on Jan. 7-8, 2020. Many of you will be searching for warm bricks of your own as you try to navigate the winter of 2020. Maybe a couple of days in Ontario, Calif., and a tour of a nice warm steel mill (in this case, California Steel Industries) might do the trick. You can learn more about our workshop, the venue, costs and how to register on our website: www.SteelMarketUpdate.com/events/steel101 or you are welcome to contact us at info@SteelMarketUpdate.com
A note about the 2020 SMU Steel Summit, our 10th conference, which will be held in Atlanta on Aug. 24-26. The venue is not going to change, but there will be some advances as we look to expand the size and scope of the conference. We are anticipating close to 1,200 attendees, which will make for exceptional networking. I am working hard on the speakers already. Mark your calendars to join us in Atlanta at the end of August 2020.
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
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?