Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
August 29, 2014
We’ve gone well past hectic as we are literally within a few hours of kicking off our 4th Steel Summit Conference in Atlanta. We exceeded our registration goals and we had to expand both of the rooms we are using at the Georgia International Convention Center to accommodate the extra people. The place is set up and we’ve already begun to check-in those who have arrived at the Marriott Gateway Hotel the night before.
For those attending our Steel Summit Conference the day begins at 8:30 AM with a special pre-Summit workshop on Advanced High Strength Steels and the concept of light-weighting. The full conference will began at 10 AM Sharp in salon’s 6 & 7 in the south side of the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC).
For those who are flying into Atlanta in the morning – one note to remember – follow signs for Rental Cars – the SKYTRAIN goes to both the rental car lots (2nd stop) and the Marriott Gateway Hotel and GICC (1st Stop). There is no charge for the train which is located just outside the airport terminal. DO NOT TAKE THE MARTA TRAIN which goes downtown and cost money to ride. The SkyTrain has black cars and is free to ride.
Big River Steel has scheduled their “official” ground breaking for September 22nd. The ground breaking is by invitation only. Actual construction has already begun.
A note that we will not produce a Steel Market Update newsletter on Thursday due to our Steel Summit Conference. We will be back in full swing by Sunday evening.
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
President Trump’s tariff policies have a lot more in common with a roundabout than you’d think.

Final Thoughts
The difference: The spat with Turkey was a big deal for steel. This time, the 50% reciprocal tariff for Brazil – if it goes into effect as threatened on Aug.1 – hits everything from coffee and to pig iron. It seems almost custom-built to inflict as much pain as possible on Brazil.

Final Thoughts
Are we on the cusp of sorting out the tariff situation, or is this merely another round in the bout?

Final Thoughts
I’m not sure how many different ways I can write that it’s been a quiet market ahead of Independence Day. There are variations on that theme. I’ve heard everything from the ominous “eerily quiet” to "getting better" and even the occasional “blissfully unaware” (because I’m enjoying my vacation).

Final Thoughts
What's going to be the next big thing in steel?