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    Analysis

    September 8, 2024

    Final thoughts

    Written by Ethan Bernard

    The phrase “political football” has been tossed around a lot lately. (Pun probably intended.) For the humble journalists at SMU who thought the week following Steel Summit would prove a quiet one… the news cycle had other ideas. We’ve seen a large trade case filed by US mills and the USW on coated imports from 10 nations. We’ve seen enough turns of the screw in the U.S. Steel/Nippon deal to build an Ikea bookcase. For example, President Biden is reportedly “preparing” to block the transaction on national security grounds. And in the background lurks the presidential election of 2024.

    Some – if not many, but in any case a lot – of people on both sides of the aisle believe the results of this election will determine the course of these United States. For that reason, the stakes of this political football game seem akin to the Super Bowl. For those who attended Steel Summit, you may recall that I provided a no-nonsense, five-point guide to getting the most out of Summit, and—most importantly—staying safe.

    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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