As the global trading system, which used to be “rules-based,” continues its slide toward the absence (defiance? disregard?) of rules, governments around the world are trying new things.
Last week the Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, visited China for high-level meetings with the Chinese government. Her counterpart, Wang Wentao, China’s Commerce Minister, participated in the discussions. The four-day meeting included an announcement of two new working groups dealing with US-China economic relationships. The first was a forum to explain US export controls relating […]
Steel Summit's trade panel opened the conversation around the ongoing negotiations between the US and EU, decarbonization, and trade.
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.
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.
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.
In administrative reviews of the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on corrosion resistant (galvanized/Galvalume) steel from South Korea, the US Department of Commerce has preliminarily adjusted the duties downward.
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.
An unusual clash of powerful forces is in full swing over tin mill products. This flat-rolled steel product is used to make “tin cans” that hold a huge array of food products and other metal containers sold throughout the world. Tin mill products are generally made from cold-rolled steel that is coated with tin or […]
The US Department of Commerce this week ruled that critical circumstances exist in part in the trade case investigating illegal subsidies on tin mill products from China, meaning duties may be applied retroactively.
US Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai and a lead European Commission official met on Thursday in Brussels to discuss the Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminum, according to a press release from the USTR.
Antidumping and countervailing duties on imports of steel wire rod from a handful of countries will remain in place for another five years.
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has voted to remove duties on Brazilian hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, and plate. Once might be a coincidence. But three times? That’s a trend. The question now: Is this a big-picture shift in US trade policy toward Brazil? Or is it instead more a matter of inside baseball at the […]
Welded pipe imports from four nations will continue to face antidumping (AD) duties after determinations from US trade agencies. Circular Welded Carbon-Quality Steel Pipe from Oman, Pakistan, and UAE — Sunset Review Results Circular welded carbon-quality steel pipe from Oman, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates will continue to be subject to AD duties for at […]
The US Department of Commerce said on Thursday that it would no longer consider Russia a market economy in antidumping cases. The move could allow for higher duties on Russian imports in trade cases going forward. An analysis done by third parties for Commerce found that Russia’s government has had considerable involvement in its economy, […]
The news about AD/CVD orders being removed from Brazil on Friday was notable in that it bucked, in a small way, the trend toward regionalism and protectionism that we’ve seen growing since at least 2014. I noted in my initial writeup – as did Lewis Leibowitz in his deeper dive – that the market impact […]
Antidumping and countervailing duty actions (also known as trade cases) have been a mainstay for protecting American industries from foreign competition. Many lawyers and economic consultants (I am among them) have made their living litigating these cases at Commerce Department, the US International Trade Commission, and the courts. More than 660 products are currently subject […]
US Steel is trying to keep a stiff upper lip despite lower flat-rolled steel selling prices, continued supply chain problems, and an uneven economic outlook. “Let’s face it. There’s a lot of uncertainty. Some people say more uncertainty than ever before,” company president and CEO David Burritt said. “I’m not so sure that’s true. But […]
The US Department of Commerce has made affirmative preliminary determinations in the trade case investigating the dumping of OCTG by Argentina, Mexico, and Russia. High dumping margins were set for most producers and exporters from the three countries, which could slow down OCTG imports further in an already undersupplied market. Critical circumstances were found to […]
The US Commerce Department has decided to continue anti-dumping duties on cut-to-length plate from a dozen nations. It has also determined that countervailing duties – more than 250% – on plate from China should remain in place. The Sun Doesn’t Set on Steel Duties Those decisions follow an expedited “sunset” review that began on December […]
SMU’s latest prices are out, and hot-rolled coil is down by $55 per ton while galvanized prices are down a comparatively modest $25 per ton. That’s been the trend for a while now – that galvanized prices have been “stickier” than hot-rolled coil prices on the way down. I wrote last week in Final Thoughts […]
Steel Buyers Sentiment, as measured by Steel Market Update, has not reacted much to declining steel prices. Perhaps because prices remain well above historical averages even after big declines – more than 18% when it comes to hot-rolled coil – over the past three months. Indeed, 2021 was a record year for many companies, leaving […]
The Commerce Department has declined to initiate a duty-circumvention case filed by Steel Dynamics Inc. (SDI) against Vietnamese coated flat-rolled steel made from Japanese substrate The decision came on the heels of opposition from big foreign mills, major steel importers and exporters, as well as lobbying groups in Japan and Vietnam. “Commerce finds that SDI did […]
Steel prices fell hard again this week. While the absolute numbers – down $60 per ton ($3 per cwt) on hot-rolled coil – might appear shocking at first glance, one could make the case that we’re being conservative. The development shouldn’t have come as a surprise to those who lived through past ups and downs. […]
The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) praised a new bipartisan bill designed to crack down on trade cheating and enhance the tools available to combat repeat offenders of U.S. trade remedy laws. The “Eliminating Global Market Distortions to Protect American Jobs Act of 2021” – also referred to as “The Level the Playing Field Act 2.0” – […]
Despite all the uncertainty over the economy and steel prices as the year nears an end, sentiment among steel buyers remains extremely optimistic versus historical levels, as measured by Steel Market Update. But this week’s check of the market saw a small decline to the lowest sentiment reading since July. SMU surveys buyers every two […]
Editor’s note: SMU Contributor David Feldstein is president of Rock Trading Advisors. Rock provides customers attached to the steel industry with commodity price risk management services and market intelligence. RTA is registered with the National Futures Association as a Commodity Trade Advisor. David has over 20 years of professional trading experience and has been active […]
By Philip Bell, President, Steel Manufacturers Association Editor’s note: Phil Bell and SMA are now periodic contributors to Steel Market Update. Look for Phil’s insights on steel and events in Washington in future issues of SMU. The U.S. and EU want to resolve the Section 232 steel tariff issue by Nov. 1. This is an […]