Category: Mexico

Grupo Acerero SA de CV (GASA) reported increasing shipments at the end of 2025 as the steel producer ramps up a new slab mill in north-central Mexico.

ArcelorMittal Mexico has replaced the transformer on its No. II electric-arc furnace, increasing casting capacity by 18%.

The public bankruptcy auction for the assets of Altos Hornos de Mexico has been postponed.

Trade for many of the sheet and plate products we follow has fallen to multi-year lows through December.

Gerdau’s North American operations closed the fourth quarter of 2025 with another solid performance, according to its parent company’s most recent financial report. Supporting the steelmaker are resilient demand in key end-use markets and a continued rebalancing of domestic supply and imports.

Steel imports slowed further in December and January to some of the lowest volumes recorded in recent years.

North American auto assemblies recovered in January, up nearly 12% vs. December, though down more than 2% year on year (y/y), according to GlobalData.

Ternium SA closed 2025 under pressure from lower steel prices and softer shipments. But the Latin American steelmaker expects both volumes and margins to improve early in 2026 as Mexico’s trade defenses tighten and US tariff uncertainty begins to settle.

As referenced in Michael Cowden's last Final Thoughts, Mexico has opened a formal investigation into cold-rolled steel imports from the US, China, and Malaysia. Here are the details.

The extreme cold we've seen over the last month or so might be passing. But it's still stormy out there when it comes to trade issues. The latest trade matter that’s led to more pings than usual on my phone and in my inbox: Ternium México filed a trade petition against imports of cold-rolled (CR) coil from China, Malaysia, and the United States.

Barry Zekelman used his Tampa Steel Conference fireside chat to deliver one of the bluntest assessments yet of the forces shaping North American steel. He warned that a flawed tariff structure and an impending power crunch threaten the industry more than most realize.

CRU: US Midwest sheet prices have continued to rise from our mid-January assessment.

November steel exports tumbled 15% from October to the lowest monthly export rate since July 2020.

US rebar and wire rod prices rose month on month (m/m) alongside continued scrap increases, while merchant bar and structurals were unchanged.

Steel imports remain weak in November and December according to recently released final US Commerce Department data. Many of the sheet and plate products we follow slipped to multi-year lows.

A coalition of US steel industry CEOs has formally urged President Trump to maintain—and fully enforce—current Section 232 tariffs on steel and steel‑containing goods.

President Donald Trump in a post on Truth Social threatened to impose 100% tariffs on all exports from Canada into the US. It would be boastful (but not entirely inaccurate) to say you read it in SMU and heard it on Aluminum Market Update (AMU) first.

US steel imports have fallen sharply under the new 50% Section 232 tariff regime. Jerry Richardson, general director of CSN LLC, discussed on an SMU Community Chat this week how the market is now structurally tighter and more volatile than at any point in the past decade.

Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA) announced a proposed schedule and minimum sale price for the auction of the bankrupt steelmaker and its Minera del Norte (MINOSA) operations.

ArcelorMittal Mexico announced it has restarted the blast furnace at its Lazaro Cardenas steel mill in the state of Michoacan on Mexico's Pacific coast.

The number of oil and gas rigs operating in the US fell this week, while Canadian activity recovered further, according to the latest data released from Baker Hughes.

The volume of steel shipped outside of the country increased 11% from September to October 2025 to a seven-month high of 662,000 short tons (st), according to recently released data from the US Department of Commerce.

As we move into 2026, it’s time to look forward. While the “Donroe Doctrine,” Venezuela, and Greenland absorb significant press attention, important trade developments will also continue to make headlines this year. The unprecedented changes we saw in 2025 will continue in 2026, particularly in the areas of IEEPA and tariffs, USMCA, and the WTO.

If anti-dumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVDs) on certain pipe and tube were allowed to expire, the US Department of Commerce has found that dumping and illegal subsidies would continue at noteworthy rates.

The auction for the assets of bankrupt Mexican steelmaker Altos Hornos de Mexico (AHMSA) and its mining subsidiary, Minosa, has been postponed, according to various local media reports.

Australia's BlueScope Steel confirmed it has received a takeover bid from a two-party international consortium that includes Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI).

The US Department of Commerce has officially published the anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders on corrosion-resistant steel sheet imports, the final step in the trade case originally filed more than a year ago. At the same time, Commerce also revealed it is allowing some CORE imports into the country without paying the AD or CVDs.

Worthington Steel executives emphasized on an earnings conference call on Thursday that the company’s standout fiscal Q2 performance came from capturing new automotive business, with direct automotive shipments rising 26% year over year.

SMU and AMU are pleased to announce that Wells Fargo Managing Director Timna Tanners will be joining us for a Community Chat webinar on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 11 am ET.

Following August’s modest 4% uptick, the volume of steel shipped outside of the country slipped 8% in September to 594,000 short tons, according to recently released data from the US Department of Commerce.