Category: Trade Cases

US steel prices set to jump after President Trump levies new tariffs.

AISI and SMA praise Trump tariffs.

The new version of Section 232 goes into effect on 12:01 am ET on March 12, according to the executive order. The latest iteration of Section 232 removed quotas, exemptions, and other carve outs that had accumulated over years.

President Donald Trump said he would announce 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imported to the US, according to Bloomberg. Trump said he would make an announcement about the matter on Monday. It was not clear when the tariffs might take effect.

The day-to-day bustle of these announcements should not obscure what they signal for other potential tariff measures in the near term and a revamped trade and economic policy in the long term. 

The Commerce Department on Tuesday issued preliminary subsidy rates in the corrosion-resistant steel (CORE) trade case. The agency set minimal countervailing duty (CVD) rates for Brazil and Mexico, mostly high rates for Vietnam, and low rates for Canada, except for one privately held distributor. Commerce assigned that company, Nova Steel, and a handful of Vietnamese […]

Steel and aluminum have been identified as high priorities for trade

Canada fights back, a little As this article was about to be posted, Canada had not backed down to US President Trump’s 25% tariffs coming for Canadian goods at the stroke of midnight. In fact, the Government of Canada had pushed back, saying it would implement 25% tariffs on $155 billion worth of US products […]

“It is not by imposing tariffs that problems are resolved, but by talking and dialoguing,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said.

The benefits from higher tariffs are speculative and unproven. The disruptions caused by tariffs and other trade restrictions are better documented and cannot be rationally denied. For the tariffs to be good policy, the Trump argument must therefore be sure that the benefits to the US exceed the cost of these disruptions. Otherwise, we have madness masquerading as policy.

The Trump administration will implement 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and 10% tariffs on China, according to a White House fact sheet and executive orders circulated on Saturday. The administration said that it would tariff “energy resources” from Canada at a lower rate – 10%. The tariffs will go into effect at 12:01 ET on Tuesday, according to an executive order. The White House documents made no mention of exemptions.

Mexican steel trade association Canacero said US steel exports represent “a threat to the Mexican steel industry.” Canacero also backed retaliatory measures if President Trump enacts 25% tariffs on Mexico by Feb. 1.

Less-than-fair-value investigations The US Commerce Department has agreed to postpone preliminary decisions in the corrosion-resistant steel (CORE) antidumping duty (AD) investigations. Commerce said in a Federal Register filing that it will now issue initial AD margin determinations by April 3. The deadline had previously been Feb. 12. The extension comes after domestic petitioners requested earlier […]

President Donald Trump said on Monday evening that he was considering placing tariffs of 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico. The president said the tariffs could go into effect as soon as Feb. 1. President Trump threatened the tariffs as he signed a raft of executive orders in front of reporters in the Oval […]

The new president clearly likes tariffs, and he wants to use them to make the United States more competitive - especially in manufacturing and mining. I believe that this will not be effective. But tariffs are very likely to be announced among the early pronouncements.

Mexican steel trade association Canacero said steel exports from the Latin American country into the US do not pose a threat. And claims that Mexican steel exports have been the driver of US plant closures and layoffs are “unfounded,” the association said. “On the contrary, the US greatly benefits from steel trade flows and has […]

The steel industry may have to wait even longer for the initial duty determinations in the pending coated steel unfair trade investigations.

This may be the most consequential six months for trade policy in recent memory. The wait to see what form Trump's actions take is almost over.

It feels a little like déjà vu: Trump threatens tariffs, Canada retaliates with tariffs of its own.

The Trump administration may be considering alternative tariff plans, but Trump said the report is "Fake News."

The US Department of Commerce has determined that anti-dumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVDs) on welded line pipe imports from China and Japan should remain in place for five more years.

At holiday time, it’s customary to think about what’s happened during the year gone by and what to hope for (or brace for) in the next.

“New commodity-specific tariffs, mainly on steel and aluminum products, could widen price differentials and divert trade flows,” the credit agency forewarned.

The Commerce Department is raising the import duties on imports of corrosion-resistant sheet and cut-to-length plate from Korea.

The world has had a few shocks recently. The CEO of a major health insurance company was gunned down in Manhattan. The 50-year Assad dynasty in Syria was pushed out less than two weeks after rebels started an offensive. And President-elect Trump is promising tariffs on everything a month before he takes office. But one shock has been taking place for a lot longer than the last few weeks. The 70-year consensus on trade hasn’t just been challenged. It’s been repudiated.

Vedoya said the proposed tariffs are "an irrational measure that would harm both their own industry and ours."

We focused on trade actions the second Trump administration might take in a prior column. Since then, we have learned more about the individuals who will be leading these efforts. Recent nominations reinforce the president-elect’s statements that tariffs will feature prominently in the second administration and that trade actions will be unveiled at lightning speed.

Transition to a new administration is always uncertain. This one is more uncertain than most.

A newly adjusted anti-dumping duty on imports of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) from Argentina is too low, according to U.S. Steel. This past week, the Department of Commerce released the preliminary results of annual AD duty order reviews on OCTG from both Argentina and Mexico. It is reviewing imports during the one-year period that […]

The Canadian government estimates steel and aluminum imports from China will decrease by nearly 50% due to newly implemented tariffs.