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    Analysis

    September 4, 2026

    SMU Survey: Current Sentiment rises as Future Sentiment dips

    Written by Ethan Bernard

    SMU’s Current Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Index inched up this week while the Future Sentiment Index edged down, according to our latest market survey.  

    Every two weeks, SMU polls thousands of steel-industry executives, asking them to rate their companies’ chances of success today and also three to six months down the road. Their responses are used to calculate our proprietary Current and Future Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Indices, measures tracked since 2008.

    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.

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