Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts
Written by Brett Linton
June 12, 2015
Just a quick note to let our Premium level members know that earlier this week we put the latest imports by product, port and country on our website. You can review the data by clicking here.
We received notification from the MSCI that their data will be released on Monday of next week. We will have our Apparent Excess analysis probably on Tuesday. We anticipate that our forecast will be off (we had projected flat rolled shipments at 113,000 tons per day which is probably high).
We will conduct our next flat rolled steel market survey beginning on Monday. When in New York City earlier this week for the Steel Success Strategies meeting one of our Premium customers told me that the survey data was exceptional and we were the only place where that particular client could see something that drills down to the level of active buyers and sellers of steel – the real decision makers.
If you have opinions about our products (good or bad) please let us know.
Survey results should be posted on our website on Friday afternoon of next week.
As always your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.
John Packard, Publisher

Brett Linton
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One thing we've learned from our survey here at SMU: When prices are rising, people have a lot to say. You can be assured that with our most recent survey, the comments were coming in fast and furious.

Final Thoughts
Before we get whipsawed by the current moment, it’s important to reflect on optimism. Whatever happens, consumers are going to need steel.

Final Thoughts
Remember infrastructure week in Trump 1.0? It became a running joke. Because it was almost always derailed by whatever the scandal of the day was. In Trump 2.0, we've got tariff week. And unlike infrastructure week, tariff week is no joke.

Final Thoughts
That’s not to say Section 232 shouldn’t be tightened up. Or that certain trade practices – even among our traditional allies – weren’t problematic. But when it comes to the reboot of Section 232, I do wonder whether there will be some unintended consequences.

Final Thoughts
As February comes to a close this week, the scrap markets are poised for another – and perhaps more extreme – move upward in March. March is usually a month when scrap prices relent as winter’s impediments subside. That’s not the case this year. And this time, the driver of prices will be increased demand from mills along with restricted flows over the last two months.