President Trump signed a memorandum Thursday directing the U.S. Trade Representative to recommend tariffs on $50 billion to $60 billion of Chinese goods. In addition to the tariffs, the United States also plans to restrict Chinese invesment in the U.S. and to take action against China at the World Trade Organization, according to press reports. […]
Washington attorney Lewis Leibowitz offers the following trade update: Several countries have arrived in Washington seeking exemption from the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs. The Trump administration surprised the market with its announcement Thursday that five other nations will join Canada and Mexico on the list of those exempt from the tariffs: the European […]
A survey by the Precision Metalforming Association prior to the Section 232 announcement showed metalforming manufacturing companies expecting little change in business conditions and steady orders for the next three months. PMA President Roy Hardy, however, said the ensuing decision to impose tariffs will raise steel prices, impacting customers’ sourcing and harming the domestic metalforming […]
Trade attorney Lewis Leibowitz has been sharing information with Steel Market Update about the exclusion request process for both steel and aluminum. We will endeavor to provide as much information as possible to our readers as you determine whether to file for exclusions on your products or move to non-affected steel suppliers. Below is a […]
Trade attorney Lewis Leibowitz has been sharing information with Steel Market Update about the exclusion request process for both steel and aluminum. We will endeavor to provide as much information as possible to our readers as you determine whether to file for exclusions on your products or move to non-affected steel suppliers. Below is a […]
Cryptocurrency policy took a backseat to global trade at the start of the 2018 G20 Summit. Officials gathered in Buenos Aires warned that U.S. protectionist policies may threaten global economic growth. “The first risk is the risk of inward looking policies and protectionism,” said European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici on Monday. […]
Details on how to request an exclusion from the Trump administration tariffs on steel and aluminum will be published in the Federal Register tomorrow. We received a copy of the exclusion procedure and some comments from trade attorney Lewis E. Leibowitz. President Trump, using his authority under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of […]
China and German have agreed to work together to find solutions for steel overcapacity within the framework of the G20 group of nations. In a phone call on Saturday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jingping discussed the importance of multilateral cooperation in global trade and the need for the two countries to […]
Steel Market Update’s 8th Steel Summit Conference will be held at the Georgia International Convention Center on Monday, Aug. 27, through Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018. We’ve been watching the markets very carefully as we put together our final agenda and have worked hard to select the best speakers possible. On Friday, we added AK Steel […]
Steel Market Update’s 8th Steel Summit Conference will be held at the Georgia International Convention Center on Monday, Aug. 27, through Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018. We’ve been watching the markets very carefully as we put together our final agenda and have worked hard to select the best speakers possible. On Friday, we added AK Steel […]
The competitive position of steel and steel products has improved in the last few months, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. In the past, we have reported the producer price indexes of steel and some competing products on a quarterly basis. This month, we have revamped and expanded our report to provide subscribers […]
The Associated General Contractors of America warn that tariffs on aluminum and steel will drive construction costs up. The February report from AGC follows: Construction costs escalated in February, driven by price increases for a wide range of building materials including steel and aluminum, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) futures market was written by David Feldstein. As the Flack Global Metals Director of Risk Management, Dave is an active participant in the hot rolled futures market, and we believe he provides insightful commentary and trading ideas to our readers. Besides writing futures articles for Steel […]
The European steel association EUROFER urged EU policymakers, member states and industry stakeholders to show solidarity against the U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum. U.S. tariffs are the wrong approach to dealing with the global overcapacity problem in steel, said EUROFER President Geert Van Poelvoorde at a press conference earlier this week. “We are facing […]
Anticipating the U.S. Commerce Department will soon begin considering applications for exemptions from the Trump administration tariffs on steel and aluminum, South Korea’s Dongkuk Steel has reportedly suspended its April exports to the United States. Reuters quoted a company spokesman who said the steelmaker has put its exports to the U.S. temporarily on hold while […]
Companies that import steel products can apply for relief from President Trump’s tariff immediately, even before the Commerce Department issues formal procedures, recommends Washington trade attorney Lewis Leibowitz. “I see no reason to wait for detailed procedures to come out from Commerce. A letter to the Secretary should suffice to get started,” he said. The […]
The Associated General Contractors of America warn that tariffs on aluminum and steel will drive construction costs up. The February report from AGC follows: Construction costs escalated in February, driven by price increases for a wide range of building materials including steel and aluminum, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America […]
Companies that import steel products can apply for relief from President Trump’s tariff immediately, even before the Commerce Department issues formal procedures, recommends Washington trade attorney Lewis Leibowitz. “I see no reason to wait for detailed procedures to come out from Commerce. A letter to the Secretary should suffice to get started,” he said. The […]
I went out and looked around to see what I could find regarding foreign steel offers into the U.S. market. I did learn that the Mexican mills are offering to some of their core U.S. customers, but they do not have a lot of steel to sell. The pricing on hot rolled is being referenced […]
President Trump wants the NAFTA talks concluded before upcoming elections in Mexico and the U.S., as he told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a phone call on Monday. Trudeau has been meeting with Canadian steel and aluminum workers this week with stops planned at Stelco and ArcelorMittal Dofasco on Tuesday. The call came on […]
Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia added construction jobs between January 2017 and January 2018, according to an analysis of Department of Labor data by the Associated General Contractors of America. “It is noteworthy that the three states with the largest job gains were all recovering from natural disasters, in addition to having generally […]
Even though the Commerce Department has until next week to issue procedures for handling exclusion requests, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced via Twitter that his nation will be exempt from the tariffs on steel and aluminum imposed by the Trump administration March 8. The United States’ closest trading partners, Canada and Mexico, were […]
Legal experts say President Trump’s efforts to use the Section 232 steel tariffs as a bargaining chip with NAFTA and other trade negotiations could make the U.S. position more difficult to defend before the World Trade Organization and the courts. An importer hit with the tariff could claim the president had exceeded his authority under […]
Mexico, Canada, Australia … (Europe, Russia, Turkey?) … which will be the next countries to negotiate directly with President Trump, who appears to be less interested in building steel jobs than getting trade concessions (or personal acknowledgement) out of many of our allies. With President Trump, you need to review his Twitter account should you […]
Canadian steel mills like Algoma and Stelco are getting a reprieve from steel and aluminum tariffs, at least for now. The Section 232 tariffs imposed by President Trump will not affect Canada or Mexico provided they can complete a NAFTA agreement quickly and on U.S. terms. “For now, Canada and Mexico will be excluded from […]
Construction employment increased by 61,000 jobs in February to the highest level since June 2008 as rising pay rates enabled the industry to attract more workers, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials, however, cautioned that the Trump administration’s newly imposed steel and aluminum tariffs […]
Flanked by members of his administration and a group of steel and aluminum workers, President Trump signed measures today calling for a 25 percent tariff on imports of steel and a 10 percent tariff on imports of aluminum. But his comments leave the market far short of the clarity and certainty most had hoped for. […]
Reaction to the official announcement and signing of the Section 232 proclamation brought swift reaction from the industry and Congress. Opinions ranged from unwavering support, “the era of American trade surrender is coming to an end,” to total dismay, “the sweeping tariffs announced today are like dropping a bomb on a flea.” Supporting the 25 […]
Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull warned that the steel and aluminum tariffs planned by President Trump will have consequences for construction in California. Australian producer BlueScope sends about 300,000 metric tons of steel slabs per year to its Steelscape facilities in California and Washington where it is transformed into metallic-coated and pre-painted steel used in […]
Ryerson, a processor and distributor of metals, posted sales of $3.4 billion for 2017, a 17.7 percent increase year over year due to an 11.9 percent increase in the average selling price and a 5.1 percent gain in volume. Net income was $17.1 million for the year. Gross margins decreased to 17.3 percent in 2017 […]