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    Analysis

    May 30, 2025

    SMU Community Chat: June 11 at 11 am ET with Timna Tanners of Wolfe Research

    Written by Michael Cowden

    Timna Tanners, managing director of equity research for Wolfe Research, will be the featured speaker on the next SMU Community Chat.

    The webinar will be on Wednesday, June 11, at 11 am ET. It’s free to attend. You can register here.

    Tanners has coined the terms “Sheet Storm”, “Galv Galore”, and “Rebarmageddon”. Her forecasts and insights are always thought provoking. And she’s not afraid to speak her mind, so it’s no surprise that she’s always one of our most popular guests!

    The big question

    Start with a big dose of AD/CVDs, Section 232s, and other tariffs. Mix in Sheet Storm, Galv Galore, and Rebarmageddon. And the question that emerges is this: Does the US steel industry still need imports?

    Here are some other topics we’ll explore:

    The state of steel. Newsflow is up. But prices have been grinding lower since “Liberation Day.” When does that dynamic change? Will there be a summer restock? And will demand improve in 2H?

    Trade and tariffs. Some people are for tariffs, some people are against them – almost everyone is fed up with tariff uncertainty. How and when does tariff drama end?

    New capacity. Nucor is building a sheet mill in W.Va. But that’s not the end of the new capacity story. South Korean steelmaker Hyundai plans to build a mill in Louisiana. Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel might build a new mill in the US as part of its deal for U.S. Steel. What does that mean not only for imports but also for older capacity?

    Aluminum! We will be launching an aluminum publication, Aluminum Market Update (AMU), in June. So nonferrous content is now welcome here.

    And we’ll take your questions. So bring some good ones to the Q&A on Wednesday, June 11, at 11 a.m. ET!

    Editor’s note: Barry Zekelman, executive chairman and CEO of Zekelman Industries, joined us for a spirited Community Chat last Wednesday. You can find a recording of that one and other past Chats here.

    Michael Cowden

    Michael Cowden is editor-in-chief for Steel Market Update. Cowden has covered the steel industry since 2007. He specializes in flat-rolled steel but has also reported on steel long products, steel pipe and tube, and aluminum. Before joining SMU, Cowden held reporting jobs at Fastmarkets AMM in Chicago, the Associated Press in Pittsburgh, and the Cambodia Daily in Phnom Penh. He has also worked as a copy editor and in marketing at the University of Chicago Press. Cowden has a BA in English from the University of Chicago and an MSJ journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Contact him at michael@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7872.

    Read more from Michael Cowden

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