Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
November 27, 2017
The U.S. Department of Commerce and its Secretary Wilbur Ross did something today that has not been done in the last 25 years–they self-initiated an antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) suit. In this case, it was against aluminum imports from China, but steel buyers should take note. The DOC already has a Section 232 investigation under way on aluminum, on the same essential time table as the steel section. So, be prepared.
As trade attorney Lewis Leibowitz said to me in an email shortly after the DOC announcement, “Commerce announced initiation of new cases on common alloy aluminum from China. It’s the first self-initiated case by Commerce in more than 25 years. It portends, possibly, new self-initiated cases on steel products, as well. I’m speculating, but it may be an alternative to Section 232 relief for both industries.”
If you have been having any issues with our website this week, please read the very first article. We did maintenance of our website over the Thanksgiving Holidays and added new software in a number of areas, which ultimately will improve your experience with both our regular website as well as our mobile website.
I continue to invest in Steel Market Update and always strive to improve our members’ experience in all aspects of our business (newsletter, content, website, mobile, workshops, conference, custom programs, proprietary products, editing, etc.).
A note that I will be in Las Vegas for the HARDI annual conference. I will not arrive until late Sunday evening as I have prior commitments late this week and over the weekend. I will address the steel committee on Tuesday morning. Tony Taccone will also speak to the group. Tony has been a speaker at our Steel Summit Conference and he is well worth a listen. If you are attending HARDI and would like to meet, send me an email: John@SteelMarketUpdate.com or text me at 770-596-6268. I would love to spend some time with members and non-members alike.
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
It’s once again A Tale of Two Cities in the steel market. Some are almost euphoric about Trump’s victory. Others, some rather bearish, are more focused on the day-to-day market between now and Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.
Final Thoughts
One of the perhaps unintentional perks of being a trade journalist is the opportunity to travel and cover an array of industry conferences and events. Some I've attended have been at fun locations, like Palm Springs and Tampa, Fla. Others have been in more practical locations, like SMU’s Steel Summit in Atlanta and American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) meetings in Washington, D.C.
Final Thoughts
t this point in the game I think what we can say about Nippon Steel’s proposed buy of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel is that it will go through, it won’t go through, or the outcome will be something new and completely unexpected. Then again, I’m probably still missing a few options.
Final Thoughts
President-elect Donald Trump continues to send shockwaves through the political establishment (again). And steel markets and ferrous scrap markets continue to be, well, anything but shocking. As the French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote in 1849, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." (I thought the quote might have been Yankees catcher Yogi Berra in 1949. Google taught me something new today.)
Final Thoughts
President-elect Donald Trump will officially retake the White House on Jan. 20. I’ve been getting questions about how his administration’s policies might reshape the steel industry and domestic manufacturing. I covered the tumult and norm busting of Trump's first term: Section 232, Section 301, USMCA - and that's just on the trade policy side of things. It's safe to say that we'll have no shortage of news in 2025 when it comes to trade and tariffs.