Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
February 12, 2016
I was very disappointed to hear the news that Carrier Corporation has decided to move their manufacturing and distribution operations in Indianapolis, Indiana to Monterrey, Mexico. As I heard the news I thought about the 2016 AHR Expo show (co-sponsored by ASHRAE and the AHRI) that I attended at the end of January. That show is billed as the “World’s largest HVACR Marketplace” but Carrier did not bother to exhibit.
Carrier was at one time during my active steel sales career one of my largest accounts. I feel sad for the 1,400 workers and their families in Indiana that will lose their jobs as Carrier focuses their business to other areas of the world. I also saw Donald Trump’s comments about Carrier Corporation during the presidential debates (which we have quoted in another article on the subject in this evening’s edition). I would be curious to hear what you think about Carrier’s (and other companies across the U.S.) move to Mexico and its impact on the U.S. steel and distribution industries. You can provide your opinion at: John@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
The European Union targeted Chinese steel as they announce new investigations into Chinese plate, hot rolled and seamless pipes. The EU also announced duties on cold rolled steels for China and Russia. There will be protests in Brussels on Monday against the flood of cheap, subsidized Chinese steel flooding the EU.
I will be in my office on Monday and Tuesday of this week before traveling to Tampa for the Port of Tampa Steel Conference on Wednesday and Thursday. For those of you traveling to Tampa I look forward to seeing you there. I think the weather is suppose to be nice in Florida so those of you coming from the north – enjoy.
As always your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.
John Packard, Publisher
John Packard
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Final Thoughts
From one group of folks, I’ve heard that Trump might not wait until Feb. 1 – the date he threatened on to place tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico. They say he could act as soon as Friday. And then there are those who don’t think anything will happen before April 1. That’s the deadline for Commerce, Treasury, and USTR to submit key reports on “America First Trade Policy” to President Trump.
Final Thoughts
Trump made a clarification in a speech on Monday. Previously, he had declared the word “tariff” the most beautiful word in the dictionary. No longer.
Final Thoughts
President Donald Trump on Sunday hammered Colombia with 25% tariffs and threatened to increase them to 50%. Trump in a post on Truth Social said he took the action not because of a trade dispute but because the South American nation had refused to accept planes carrying deported immigrants. The president also cited "national security" concerns, just as he did to justify 25% Section 232 tariffs on steel in his first term. Even the 50% threat echoes his first term. Turkish steel, like that of most nations, was assessed a 25% tariff in March 2018. Trump doubled Turkey's tariff to 50% via a tweet in August of that year over a matter unrelated to steel.
Final Thoughts
We surveyed many of you this week and asked what you wanted to see from the new Trump administration. Responses were varied but fell largely into three groups: tariffs and trade policy, the Nippon-U.S. Steel deal, and those who are concerned about too much government sway in steel. Some also expressed hope that President Trump would continue the infrastructure spending that began under former President Biden.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes new presidential administrations hit the ground running. No time for change like the present. And sometimes new administrations blast off on a SpaceX rocket bound for Mars. There’s a big universe, and we’ve got a lot of flags to plant. Such seems to be the case with the new Trump administration.