Final Thoughts
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Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
January 27, 2017
Please be advised that I will be traveling to Tampa, Florida and will be at the Port of Tampa Steel Conference on Monday and Tuesday of this week. I will return to my office on Wednesday. For those of you who have not been to a steel conference, the Port of Tampa is a good one that will not break the bank. Of course, if you only can go to one steel conference, I highly recommend our own Steel Summit Conference which will be in Atlanta, Georgia at the end of August (28th, 29th and 30th of August).
We are going to begin our early February flat rolled steel market analysis (survey) beginning at 8 AM ET on Monday, January 30th. We will send out approximately 630 invitations to people representing over 600 companies involved in the production, distribution, manufacturing or processing of flat rolled steel. The vast majority of the invitations focus on manufacturing and distribution which are the two largest buying segments for the steel mills. We will be asking questions about whether those in the industry think flat rolled steel prices have “peaked” or does the bull have room to run?
This coming week should be interesting (just like every other week in the steel industry). If something comes across your desk or, if you become aware of changes in the marketplace, please shoot me a note: John@SteelMarketUpdate.com
As always your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.
John Packard, Publisher
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John Packard
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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.
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Final Thoughts
The US steel market has whipsawed upward on the prospect of expanded Section 232 tariffs of 25% being applied to imported steel - including downstream goods - on March 12. It seems pretty clear that domestic steel mills have the ear of the Trump administration when it comes to Section 232. The result? The much-anticipated Trump bump has finally arrived - and then some.
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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 […]
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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.
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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).