Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts
Written by Tim Triplett
June 25, 2018
John Packard is on an airplane somewhere over the Atlantic, on his way to meet with our new colleagues at the CRU Group, which is headquartered in London. I’m sure John would agree, as he travels far away, that this comment from a Steel Market Update subscriber hits very close to home.
Responding to our query this week about the current atmosphere for pricing and mill negotiations, one service center executive shared the following thoughts: “Domestically, there isn’t much to negotiate. The number is the number. For imports, it’s all about the continued uncertainty of what the next tweet could be and how to do business without knowing the rules. There has NEVER been a time when having good business partners, not just vendors but true business partners, has been more important.”
I think the message holds true for all types of relationships. Steel Market Update was acquired by the CRU Group less than a month ago, so our partnership is still evolving. But the synergies between the two organizations are unmistakable and the possibilities are limitless. When John gets back from London, I’m sure his head will be full of new ideas for new products and new programs to help Steel Market Update subscribers navigate today’s treacherous steel market.

Tim Triplett
Read more from Tim TriplettLatest in Final Thoughts

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.

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.

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 […]

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.

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).