Tag: Canada

US primary output is at its lowest level this century

The latest in the new coated steel investigation and the expiry review of steel plate from six countries.

Unions members on both sides of the US-Canada border are speaking out against President Trump’s tariffs on Canadian steel. They say the tariffs threaten to disrupt supply chains and subvert decades of economic cooperation. The United Steelworkers (USW) has more than 850,000 total members in North America, with 225,000 in Canada.

The problem is that the situation in Washington is so fluid that no one really knows what to expect

While American steelmakers welcome the revival of the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, other nations' steel industries are calling for retaliation against President Trump's unilateral action of upping the levies on trading allies and removing all product exemptions.

December 2024 marks the fourth month in a row that steel exports have declined, now at the lowest monthly rate recorded since December 2022.

Following the one-year low recorded in November, steel imports rose by 3% in December to 2.14 million short tons (st) according to final US Commerce Department data. January could be the highest month for steel imports witnessed in nearly three years.

The company’s plants had been shut since just before Christmas when the company locked out union workers during negotiations.

ArcelorMittal Dofasco is raising spot sheet prices by CA$100 per ton (US$70/ton). The Hamilton, Ontario-based flat rolled steelmaker told customers the increase is effective immediately for all new orders. It did not specify to what level this brings its base prices but noted its right to re-quote previous but unconfirmed orders. “We will continue to […]

Canada fights back, a little As this article was about to be posted, Canada had not backed down to US President Trump’s 25% tariffs coming for Canadian goods at the stroke of midnight. In fact, the Government of Canada had pushed back, saying it would implement 25% tariffs on $155 billion worth of US products […]

The benefits from higher tariffs are speculative and unproven. The disruptions caused by tariffs and other trade restrictions are better documented and cannot be rationally denied. For the tariffs to be good policy, the Trump argument must therefore be sure that the benefits to the US exceed the cost of these disruptions. Otherwise, we have madness masquerading as policy.

The Trump administration will implement 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and 10% tariffs on China, according to a White House fact sheet and executive orders circulated on Saturday. The administration said that it would tariff “energy resources” from Canada at a lower rate – 10%. The tariffs will go into effect at 12:01 ET on Tuesday, according to an executive order. The White House documents made no mention of exemptions.

The Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA) has urged Canada to engage with the US administration to avoid the tariffs threatened by the Trump administration by Feb. 1. “The imposition of tariffs on Canadian goods will have an incredibly disruptive impact on our integrated North American supply chains and on our workers and their families,” François […]

USMCA is option 1 but will cost more or not be big enough

President Donald Trump said on Monday evening that he was considering placing tariffs of 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico. The president said the tariffs could go into effect as soon as Feb. 1. President Trump threatened the tariffs as he signed a raft of executive orders in front of reporters in the Oval […]

Many people have shaken off the post-holiday blues. But for primary aluminum operators, “power blues” are enduring.

The steel industry may have to wait even longer for the initial duty determinations in the pending coated steel unfair trade investigations.

Locking out its union employees two days before Christmas, Welded Tube's behavior has been very "Grinch-like," according to the USW.

The amount of steel exiting the country continued to decline through November, falling to an 11-month low, according to the latest US Department of Commerce data. This is the third month in a row that steel exports have eased and the second-lowest monthly rate recorded in almost two years.

We are quickly approaching Inauguration Day. The market still has no definitive clue as to how the Trump administration will execute on its threat to apply universal tariffs to all imports. Compounding this are the threats to apply 25% duties against our USMCA partners - Canada and Mexico.

Oil and gas drilling activity declined in the US this week, while Canadian rig counts saw a rebound, according to the latest data from Baker Hughes.

Domestic steel imports fell 14% from October to November to a one-year low of 2.07 million short tons (st), according to final US Commerce Department data. While steel trade has declined from early-2024 highs, November imports are slightly higher than volumes seen one year prior.

It feels a little like déjà vu: Trump threatens tariffs, Canada retaliates with tariffs of its own.

Nippon Steel and a Japanese trading company have entered an agreement to buy a 49% interest in a Champion Iron ore project in Canada.

The volume of steel exported from the country declined in October for the second-consecutive month, following a one-year high in August.

Monthly imports have remained within a relatively narrow range since June, significantly lower than volumes seen earlier this year, but stronger than late-2023 levels.

The Canadian government estimates steel and aluminum imports from China will decrease by nearly 50% due to newly implemented tariffs.

The president-elect has wasted no time in using the threat of tariffs to reopen negotiations and, ideally, score other political wins along the way.

Canada has launched its own investigation into the dumping of corrosion-resistant steel sheet. Unlike the sprawling coated case underway in the US, this one will look at coated imports from just one country and company.

About 23% of respondents expect an uptick in economic activity in the next three months. That’s an increase over the 13% in October.