Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
March 25, 2013
I remember back to August 2008 when I first started selling memberships to the Steel Market Update newsletter – one of my good steel customers from my Winner Steel and trading company days wondered out loud when he told me he didn’t know what I would be writing about in 30 days (in other words he thought I would run out of things to write about). It has been almost a full five years since SMU has been existence and we still have plenty to write about.
More importantly, to both me and our readers, we have expanded the company so we have more people to research, write, educate and market our products. Back in 2008 , I did 100 percent of the company writing. As you look at this issue you will notice that is no longer the case.
Plus, our company continues to grow.
I am pleased to announce we will have another new face joining our ranks as of Monday, March 25th. John Temples, former Learning Leader of Pacesetter Steel Service, Inc. will be joining our growing organization. John has a Master’s Degree in Education and an extensive resume on training and the learning process – particularly as it relates to the steel industry.
With the addition of John Temples and Peter Wright just before him, Steel Market Update continues its focus on knowledge/ learning/ understanding as being key focal points for our company.
For those who have not been keeping track, I now have the following people working with me to improve and grow our company and expand our services to our readers and those who are interacting with our website, workshops and Steel Summit conference: Brett Linton, Sophia Fain, Diana Packard, Jack Marshall, Sandy Williams, Peter Wright and John Temples. We also have three instructors who should be mentioned as part of our team: John Eckstein & Steve Painter who are with our Steel 101 workshop and Andre Marshall who is our instructor for Managing Price Risk. We also have a number of contributing writers which include (but are not limited to): Paul Lowrey of Steel Research Associates, Damon Sun of Daido International and a trading company source in Asia who prefers to remain anonymous. From one we have spawned many.
Please join me in welcoming Mr. Temples to our organization. His email address is: JohnTemples@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
Your business and your support have helped Steel Market Update grow and we all truly appreciate your kind words, suggestions, assistance in bringing us new business and most importantly we truly appreciate your business.

John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest in Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts
Some of you have told me that the current market feels about as crazy as early 2021 when demand snapped back after the initial outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Others have said it might be more like late February/early March 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine – and, in the process, caused […]

Final Thoughts
To say we’ve entered a “Brave New World” since Jan. 20 might be an exaggeration, but we’ve definitely entered a different one.

Final Thoughts
I think it’s fair to say that the last few weeks – and last week especially – have been among the most intense for any of us covering steel (or aluminum).

Final Thoughts
A look at how SMU survey respondents are reacting to President Trump's recent actions on tariffs.

Final Thoughts
A lot of the changes basically entail rolling back what I’ll call, for fun, Section 232 Lite. S232 Lite resulted from watering down what I’ll call OG S232 – the one first imposed in March 2018 - with exemptions and exclusions over the years. Now, OG Section 232, is back with its across-the-board 25% tariffs against everyone.