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    Analysis

    January 23, 2024

    Final thoughts

    Written by Ethan Bernard

    This earnings season will hit a little different. U.S. Steel has announced that it won’t be hosting an earnings call. While this silence is normal during an acquisition process, it does alter a staple of the earnings landscape. Last week, Scott Davidson, VP at Nippon Steel Trading Americas, wrote a letter to the editor on why the Nippon buy was good for U.S. Steel and domestic manufacturing. It seems this deal highlights the complexities of the current moment.

    In a globalized world, how exactly do you define domestic? Of course anyone familiar with the number 232 will know such definitions exist. Still, the idea that you work at a factory in a town, the owner lives in said town, and you may run into him or her on the main town square on a Sunday stroll is not as common as it once was. Things often get more complex. Outside of factories, scrapyards, or mills, a lot of people no longer even work in an office.

    Ethan Bernard

    Ethan Bernard is managing editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years, starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

    Read more from Ethan Bernard

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