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    Analysis

    Ethan Bernard, SMU Team

    June 3, 2025

    Final Thoughts

    Written by Ethan Bernard

    Sometimes a man says I will see my own steel tariff and double it. And if that man is the president of the United States, and it was last Friday, that’s exactly what happens. So what exactly does the steel landscape look like when Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum are set to jump from 25% to 50% on Wednesday, June 4. In short, cloudy.

    It’s been a rock ‘em, sock ‘em, Wild West, duck, and don’t let the next tariff hit you on your way out the door kind of environment since “Liberation Day.” In past Final Thoughts, I’ve consulted the SMU Magic 8-ball and ChatGPT. This time I decided to do something novel: Talk to a human.

    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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