Steel Summit: Dr. Basu blames tariffs for riskier path ahead

Steel executives packed the main conference hall of the 2025 SMU Steel Summit on Tuesday, Aug. 26, to hear economist Dr. Anirban Basu lay out his blunt view of tariffs, inflation, and demand.

It would be one thing “if these tariffs were being implemented during a time of low inflation and low interest rates,” he remarked. “But these terms are being implemented during a period of already stubbornly high inflation and high interest rates.”

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. She has held various editorial positions with steel industry publications, associations, and mills since 2007. She joined the SMU team in 2022. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.

Laura Miller

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