Earlier this week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled against an appeal by the American Institute for International Steel challenging the constitutionality of the Section 232 tariffs. The court affirmed a ruling by the U.S. Court of International Trade, which upheld the Trump administration’s tariffs on imported steel. “While disappointed, we […]
NLMK USA has filed a complaint with the U.S. Court of International Trade alleging that NLMK’s requests for steel slab exclusions from Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act have been wrongfully denied. The Indiana and Pennsylvania mills use imported steel slab to process into finished products. The 250-255 mm thick slab (nominally “10 inch”) […]
The American Institute for International Steel suffered another setback in its constitutional challenge of the Trump administration’s use of Section 232 tariffs to restrict steel and aluminum imports on the basis of national security. In a ruling on Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals rejected the claim by AIIS that the “non-delegation doctrine” makes it […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: As a participant of long standing in the saga of international trade cases, I can say that this week was particularly interesting. First, the U.S. International Trade Commission did something unusual—last Tuesday, it made a final negative determination […]
By CRU Prices Analyst Estelle Tran, from CRU’s Global Steel Trade Service The impact of the U.S. International Trade Commission’s surprising negative determination that allegedly dumped and subsidized fabricated structural steel imports from China, Canada and Mexico have not materially injured a U.S. industry is tough to define in the current protectionist environment. Preliminary tariffs […]
Steel buyers sentiment, as measured by Steel Market Update, has remained relatively steady at a fairly optimistic level since the beginning of the year. But both Current and Future Sentiment have registered a very slight decline in the past few weeks. SMU’s Current Sentiment Index registered +56 this week, down from +63 at this time […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: First, I want to recap the World Trade Organization crisis. The Trump administration has put a big obstacle in the way of WTO dispute settlement by refusing to permit new members of the “supreme court” of the WTO […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: I received a question recently about the significance of Section 321 of the Tariff Act of 1930. Section 321 exempts imports from duties if they have an entered value of less than $800 per entry and meet certain […]
The office of the U.S. Trade Representative released a scathing report detailing what the U.S. believes is wrong with the dispute mechanisms of the World Trade Organization. In 174 pages, the department lays out the alleged failures of the Appellate Body to conduct business by “agreed rules.” “As detailed in this Report, the Appellate Body […]
Members of the New Democrat Coalition Trade Task Force are outraged that the report for the Section 232 investigation into auto imports has not been released and that the threat of tariffs continues to create economic uncertainty. The results of the investigation were submitted to President Trump in February 2019, but the report was never […]
Russel Metals has remained profitable despite wild swings in steel prices caused by U.S. tariffs, coupled with weak energy prices and declining rig counts. The Canadian distributor reported net income of $77 million on revenues of $3.7 billion in full-year 2019. Results were down significantly from the prior year when the company saw a profit […]
NLMK USA saw sales decrease 14 percent to 470,000 metric tons during the fourth quarter of 2019. Revenue from the segment dropped 18 percent quarter-over-quarter to $322 million. Declines were attributed to softer demand and lower steel prices. NLMK Group noted weaker demand in energy, automotive and machinery segments and a 4 percent drop in […]
Imports of steel rolled products have declined every month since May 2018, year over year, with the greatest decline in January 2020, according to government data. Total rolled product imports in January were down by 35.5 percent on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis. This follows the 27.8 percent decrease in November on the same […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: On Feb. 4, the Commerce Department published a new regulation expanding countervailing duty law. Commerce will now for the first time entertain claims by U.S. industry that government action to “undervalue” a currency in relation to the U.S. […]
The Port of Cleveland saw a significant decline in imports from Europe in 2019 due to tariffs and supply line disruptions. An increase in shipments from Canada, however, drove a 9 percent overall increase in cargo for the year. “Our European, cross-Atlantic imports were down approximately 35 percent, and our primary import from Europe is […]
I spent the second half of last week in Tampa where I was the master of ceremonies for the 31st Tampa Steel Conference hosted by the Port of Tampa. John Anton, IHS Markit Director of Steel Analytics / Pricing and Purchasing Service, provided the key economic and steel forecast for the group. He told the […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: Friday’s vote in the Senate to end the impeachment trial of President Trump without calling witnesses or receiving additional evidence seals the fate of the impeachment effort. The Senate will hear closing arguments and debate the issues Monday […]
Demand is looking good for the steel industry this year, especially in the construction sector, said panel members on the Steel Manufacturers Association media call today. Dave Sumoski, Nucor Executive Vice President – Merchant and Rebar Products, noted that construction is a major area for Nucor. The market for steel bar is very strong with […]
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says that tariffs on imports of autos and parts are still on the table, refuting claims that the deadline has passed to impose such measures under Section 232. After Commerce delivered its report on the national security implications of imports of foreign autos to the administration, the president had 180 days […]
Steel buyers sentiment continued to improve through mid-January with Steel Market Update’s Current Sentiment Index registering +63, its highest reading since November 2018. Sentiment has been on the rise since October when it hit a low of +26, its most pessimistic reading since June 2013. (Historical low was in March 2009 when it hit -85.) […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: On Friday, President Trump issued another proclamation on steel and aluminum. This time, the proclamation imposes tariffs on selected “derivative” products made from steel and aluminum. I was reminded of the movie “The Monster that Devoured Cleveland,” which […]
On Thursday I provided some of the feedback I was getting from those involved in both the sales and purchasing of flat rolled steel into the North American markets. The comments continued to flow in and here are a couple more that I found interesting: The general manager of a service center provided these insights […]
U.S. manufacturers have requested a total of 93,933 exclusions from steel tariffs and 13,249 exclusions from aluminum tariffs since the Trump administration imposed Section 232 in 2018. To get an exemption, an applicant must make the case that the metal they require is not available domestically in a sufficient quality or quantity. While Commerce has […]
Looking back on 2019, it’s difficult to assess the success of Trump’s tariffs. A case for their effectiveness can be made either way. Judging by one measure, imports, it certainly appears the tariffs did their job. The American Iron and Steel Institute estimates that total steel imports declined by approximately 17.9 percent in 2019 to […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: Challenges to the Section 232 steel tariffs are intensifying lately. The cases raise issues going to the heart of the Section 232 import restrictions. Here is a summary of the court cases to watch: AIIS—challenging the constitutionality of […]
December’s licensed import volume for rolled steel products was the lowest since December 2009. Year over year, total rolled product imports in December were down by 27.8 percent on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis. This follows the 27.4 percent decrease in November, 17.7 percent decrease in October and 15.5 percent decline in September on […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: We are now in the third year of the steel tariffs. On Jan. 11, 2018, the Department of Commerce transmitted its report and recommendations to President Trump. The president was waiting for the document, which gave him power […]
Allegheny Technologies’ Midland plant may be on the chopping block if the Trump administration doesn’t approve an exclusion from Section 232 tariffs. ATI CEO Robert Wetherbee, in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, demonstrated how difficult it can be to support Trump trade policies and one’s own business interests. Wetherbee believes the tariffs were […]
Commercial Metals Company is looking forward to a steady construction market in 2020 for its merchant bar and rebar products. “We are positioned to continue benefiting from the positive trends in our core markets and remain optimistic about the construction market, as many of the macro indicators we monitor point to resilience ahead,” said President […]
By CRU Analysts, from CRU’s Bulk Ferroalloys Monitor U.S. finished steel prices have risen following price increase announcements that found support from service center restocking. Adding to this price support was the scrap market, where scarcer supply and increased mill demand put prices on an upward trajectory. Some steel products have enjoyed quicker price gains […]