Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
August 13, 2014
I got a note from a manufacturing company regarding the size of the Nucor move on galvanized coating extras. The comment that was made was, “Zinc average for 2014 is up 8.6% since average of 2012. Nucor increase is way too high.” This steel buyer went on to comment, “Aluminum average in same time period is only up about 2%.” We have not seen any coating extra changes for aluminized or Galvalume as of today.
In case you missed our comment in the OCTG article, the International Trade Commission (ITC) has announced they have changed the date of the final vote by the ITC commissioners to 11 AM on Friday, August 22nd. Normally, it takes until the next day before the ITA (International Trade Administration) publishes the final results of the vote. Peter Brebach explains the process in more detail in his article above.
Premium Level members – June imports by product, port and country are now available on our website.
I received a call this evening asking me to clarify a quote that was in our secondary steel article in our last issue. We had quoted a service center executive who told us, “Doing business over drinks doesn’t work anymore.” The quote came after a comment about potential changes between Severstal Dearborn and AK Steel and should have actually stood on its own as it was not directed at either mill (or any mill in particular). The service center executive and I were discussing how the internet has changed the way business is transacted and the quote was pointed at the old days when steel people went out for three martini lunches. My apologies to AK Steel and Severstal and anyone who may have interpreted the quote as being directed at any specific steel mill as it was not meant to be a negative comment.
I am here should you have any questions or comments regarding any articles which are written. You can reach me at: John@SteelMarketUpdate.com or at 800-432-3475.
As always your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.
John Packard, Publisher
John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest in Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
And just like that, we’re wrapping up the last SMU newsletter of 2024. We’re closing out our 19th year and looking with wide-eyed anticipation to what 2025 will bring.
Final Thoughts
SMU looks back at stories from Decembers past, one, five, 10, and 100 years ago.
Final Thoughts
It's that time of year again. You know, that time when people wonder if those things are drones in New Jersey or if the aliens are ready to come onto the stage just in time for Inauguration Day. What will that do for steel price volatility? In any case, the SMU team finds itself in Pittsburgh this week.
Final Thoughts
The Community Chat last Wednesday with ITR economist Taylor St. Germain is worth listening to if you couldn’t tune in live. You can find the replay and Taylor’s slide deck here. You can also find SMU reporter Stephanie Ritenbaugh’s writeup of the webinar here. Taylor is Alan Beaulieu’s protégé at ITR. Many of you know Alan from his talks at SMU Steel Summit. I found Taylor’s analysis just as insightful as Alan’s.
Final Thoughts
Cracks have formed in what has been presented as the Biden administration’s united front against Nippon Steel’s play for U.S. Steel. A report from the Financial Times said parts of the administration are at odds on the deal.