Category: Features

Barry Zekelman, executive chairman and CEO of Zekelman Industries, joined SMU managing editor Michael Cowden in a fireside chat to close out the 2013 Steel Summit’s opening day.

Steel Market Update’s Demand Index remains in contracting territory, where it has been for most of the last four months, according to the latest survey data. While the market did react temporarily in response to mill price hikes in mid-June, apparent demand for flat-rolled steel in the US continues to trend down.

I’m excited to see pretty much the entire steel industry this week in Atlanta. I’m looking forward to the networking and to learning from our great lineup of speakers. I also what not draw your attention to some highlights from our latest steel market survey. (Full results are here.) Some of these topics will be discussed along the sidelines as well as up on the stage.

The Biden administration issued three decisions last week that raise the question whether international trade will be harder or easier when it comes to infrastructure and commercial manufacturing in the US.

Mexico has decided to implement import tariffs on a number of products, among them, steel.

The latest SMU Market Survey results are now available on our website to all Premium members.

SMU's Current Sentiment Index slipped this week, while the Future Steel Buyers Sentiment Index jumped 10 points from the last market check, according to our most recent survey data.

I am happy to announce that there are officially now more than 1,400 people attending SMU Steel Summit next week in Atlanta. That’s a new record for us, and I thank all of you for making it possible. I am also happy to say that Barry Zekelman, executive chairman and CEO of Zekelman Industries, will be joining us for the first fireside chat of Steel Summit on Monday, Aug. 21, at 3:40 pm ET.

The office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) endorsed the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) panel report regarding the Section 232 duties against China on steel and aluminum. The report recognized the duties as “security measures,” rejecting China’s arguments against them.

The US Department of Commerce has published its preliminary findings in the antidumping (AD) trade case investigating tin mill products from China and Canada.

I wrote on Sunday about U.S. Steel being for sale and Cleveland-Cliffs announcing that it was the among bidders for the iconic Pittsburgh-based steelmaker. I have heard some interesting theories on who the other bidders might be. Foreign mills, domestic mills, private equity - even Elon Musk, which I think is when things started to really jump the shark.

US service center flat-rolled steel inventories spiked in July with a slowdown in shipments. At the end of July, service centers carried 56.1 shipping days of flat roll supply, according to adjusted SMU data.

US plate producers were successful in their most recent effort to have the suspension agreement on cut-to-length plate imports from Russia removed and replaced with antidumping duties.

I planned to write this column about some of the big themes we’ll be discussing at Steel Summit. That plan changed when U.S. Steel announced on Sunday afternoon that it was conducting a formal review of a sale of all or part of the company after receiving multiple unsolicited offers. It changed yet again when Cleveland-Cliffs said its offer for U.S. Steel had been rejected.

Steel trade continues to cause dissension among our friends, perhaps more so than our adversaries. The conflict between the US and EU is the most talked about, but it impacts others including Japan, Brazil and India.

If you haven’t already registered, there’s still time to join the more than 1,300 attendees from over 500 companies that will be in Atlanta for Summit.

CRU research manager Stephen Williamson shares his views of this week's aluminum market.

First, I want to say a big “thank you” to everyone who is attending Steel Summit this year. Earlier this week, we officially broke the attendance record we set last year. Numbers continue to rise. More than 1,300 will be there when the event kicks off on Monday, Aug. 21, at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta.

After a sunset review, antidumping and countervailing duties on cut-to-length carbon-quality plate imports from India, Indonesia, and South Korea will remain in place for another five years.

Certain welded pipe and tube products being exported from Vietnam to the US are not circumventing antidumping duties on Taiwanese pipe products, the US Department of Commerce said this week.

SMU’s hot-rolled coil price slipped a little below $800 per ton ($40 per cwt) this week for the first time in more than six months. You’d think that might have caused more of a fuss than it appears to have. Instead, many of the conversations I’ve had with folks in the market today have been […]

SMU senior analyst David Schollert provides an overview of steel market indicators for the month of July.

This is a tough time to be in the forecasting business, especially when it comes to steel. You might have a battle-tested model based on the latest macroeconomic data, prices, inventories, and lead times. The catch: Whatever a forecast might showing now could be overshadowed by events next month. Namely, labor negotiations between the United Auto Workers (UAW) union and automakers General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis.

Steel Market Update’s Demand Index has now been contracting territory for the better part of the past 3-plus months, according to the latest survey data.

Last week’s indictment of former president Donald Trump has ignited a blizzard of commentary. Not much of it has looked at the implications for the global trade order. Over the next year and a half, major trade and strategic initiatives will be negotiated with adversaries as well as allies: everything from the steel and aluminum negotiations with the EU to the war in Ukraine.

It feels like the market is in a bit of a holding pattern. Lead times are roughly sideways, according to our latest check of the market. Will they begin to extend now that most mills are into September not only for cold-rolled and coated products but also for hot band?

The founder of Hascall Steel, Wayne Charles Hascall, passed away on July 29 at the age of 88. Hascall was a loving husband, father, brother, and grandfather. He also served his country as a proud member of the United States Marine Corps.

Our sheet prices are down again this week. Some of you think it’s a sign of something ominous, others think it’s just a case of seasonality. It might help to step back and put things in perspective.

An unusual clash of powerful forces is in full swing over tin mill products. An antidumping petition was filed against eight countries in January of this year, while an anti-subsidy petition was filed against imports of tin mill products from China at the same time.

There is a lot going on at SMU right now. We’re going to be rolling out a new website over the next few days. We’ve also got more than 1,200 people registered to attend Steel Summit this year, putting us on pace to potentially break last year’s attendance record of nearly 1,300. The event is […]