Features

Holiday notice: Easter
Written by Brett Linton
March 28, 2024
Steel Market Update will be taking time off in observance of Good Friday and Easter.
Our offices will be closed on Friday, March 29, and we will not publish our Executive issue on Sunday, March 31.
Our weekly pricing service will not be impacted.
We will resume our regular publication schedule on Monday, April 1, and our pricing service on Tuesday, April 2.
We wish the entire SMU community a restful holiday weekend.

Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Features

Final Thoughts
Despite some scary headlines lately (especially about Trump potentially firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell) this is not October 2008 (financial crisis) or March 2020 (onset of the pandemic). But it sure seems like we’ve taken a relatively strong economy and poured a thick sauce of uncertainty over it.

CRU: Rising protectionism will continue to weigh on Chinese steel export prices
Chinese steel export prices are expected to remain stable or fall in the coming weeks as trade restrictions rise and tensions between the country and the US escalate.

Fed indicators signal healthy manufacturing sector
Recent Federal Reserve data paints a positive picture of the US manufacturing sector. Manufacturing indicators remained strong through February and March figures

Steel market chatter this week
Earlier this week, SMU polled steel buyers on an array of topics, ranging from market prices, demand, and inventories to tariffs, imports, and evolving market events.

Final Thoughts
I put some of our survey data through ChatGpt, with interesting results.