Tag: final thoughts

Scrap keeps on trucking, shutdown or not.

Anyone standing near the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix, Az undoubtedly felt a kinetic charge this week. Professionals from coast-to-coast convened in the posh desert oasis for the Association of Women in the Metals Industry (AMWI) 2025 conference. Amidst the metals crowd were those leading teams and organizations through the heat of the 2025 moment.  

Nippon Steel is making good on the big capex promises it made to secure its purchase of United States Steel Corp. This week, the Japanese company and American steelmaker together unveiled various capital investments they plan to make across U.S. Steel’s footprint.

Could 2026 be the year when tariffs headwinds clear?

Most steel buyers think that steel prices will continue to rise into the 2026. But they don’t see the kinds of big gains that have characterized past market upturns, according to the results of SMU’s latest steel market survey.

Sometimes an entire news cycle happens in one week.

SMU’s hot-rolled coil price increased for a third consecutive week. And the gains were more pronounced this time following a price hike initiated on Friday by NLMK USA.

SMU digs into the vault to look back at an old survey, and to tell what exciting things are still to come.

Below are some other issues that should be on your radar. Because while prices have been steady, a lot is going on when it comes to news that could impact them.

It's can-kicking at its finest. And it’s been drawn out! Some are getting so good at it, they’re kicking cans and taking names.

The US scrap market finds itself in a familiar position as we progress into the final quarter of the year. 

Musings on decarb, tariffs, and technology, and where it might be leading.

There are days when this feels like a “nothing ever happens” market. Don’t get me wrong. Plenty is happening in the world. It’s just that none of it seems to matter when it comes to sheet and plate prices.

Usually, I write about steel in this column because, well, we’re Steel Market Update. But before I get to steel, I want to give a shoutout to my colleagues at Aluminum Market Update (AMU) – SMU’s new sister publication.

SMU’s latest survey results indicate that steel market participants think sheet prices are at or near a bottom. But most also think there is limited upside once they inflect higher.

A recent IIMA meeting in Brazil shows how the US and much of the rest of the world are operating in parallel realities.

We moved our pricing momentum indicators from “lower” to “neutral” for all sheet products this week. For those keeping score, we had been at “lower” for six weeks. And I know some of you think we should have been there for even longer.

Renowned Nucor Chairman and CEO Ken Iverson would’ve turned 100 on Sept. 18 of this year.

Algoma Steel has publicly confirmed that it might scale back its presence in the US market. It's no secret why: 50% Section 232 tariffs remain in place against Canada, which has traditionally been one of our closest allies.

Are you ready to share what you'd like to see happen with the USCMA agreement when it comes up for joint review?

But, for better or worse, there is not a major political party championing unfettered free markets. While Democrats and Republicans don’t agree on much, both have cheered tariffs on steel. And so if you’re going to handicap any future decision on Granite City’s operations, including its blast furnaces, you’d better factor in politics at least as much as economics.

We’ve been talking about a potential inflection point for the past couple of weeks. And the market does appear to be nearing one.

SMU uses ferrous scrap survey data to take AI out on a test drive.

Will a US-UK meeting next week prove a harbinger of tariff deals to come, or will it be just another case of having the rug pulled from under us?

With US economic indicators all over the map, it’s no wonder the steel market has experienced a whole lot of analysis paralysis this year.  

A recurring theme in conversations with some of you and in the comments submitted in our surveys is concerns about demand and uncertainty around tariffs. Where does SMU’s latest opinion polling on President Trump’s tariffs stand? Let’s take a look at the numbers.

I’ve been getting some calls lately from some of you who want to kick around ideas on where prices might bottom and when.

Could an upcoming BRICS meeting spell trouble for President Trump's trade policy?

Another record-breaking SMU Steel Summit is in the books. Thanks to all of you – attendees, speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors – for making it possible it in what has been an uncertain year for steel.

Steel Summit 2025 has just launched, and we're off to an amazing start.