Lewis Leibowitz, trade attorney and contributor to Steel Market Update, offers the following commentary on the latest developments in Washington: A reader asked recently about the ability of the president to withdraw the United States from the NAFTA agreement, should negotiations for a new agreement with Canada and Mexico falter. While the U.S. and Mexico […]
Tariffs are harming, and sometimes causing devastating effects, for small manufacturing businesses, said speakers at the 2018 SMU Steel Summit held in Atlanta this week. An informal survey of 486 people at the summit showed almost half (49 percent versus 43 percent) of those polled felt the Section 232 tariffs were having a negative impact […]
Results from live polling during Steel Market Update’s Steel Summit Conference this week in Atlanta produced a few surprising results. Using the SMU App, Steel Market Update was able to capture the views of more than 450, or about half, of the steel industry executives in attendance at the event. For the most part, the […]
United Steelworkers have not reached a collective bargaining agreement with ArcelorMittal or U.S. Steel with just one day remaining before the current contracts expire. As union officials consider their options, including a possible strike, marches and rallies were planned for Thursday, Aug. 30, at ArcelorMittal and U.S. Steel locations to show union solidarity. “Steelworkers have made […]
The steel market is watching and waiting to see if President Trump will hit other countries with higher tariffs as he did with Turkey. If he does, the majority of observers will not be surprised. Indeed, more than 60 percent of the steel executives responding to Steel Market Update’s latest market trends questionnaire expect further […]
The United States and Mexico have agreed on changes to the rule of origin for NAFTA automobiles during bilateral discussions. The percentage of North American content for NAFTA autos will be increased from 62.5 percent to 75 percent. In addition, 70 percent of steel, aluminum and glass used in production of autos must be sourced […]
Metalforming companies are struggling with higher steel prices and longer lead times as a result of Section 232 tariffs, but are still expecting business conditions to improve during the next three months. The Precision Metalforming Association’s August Business Conditions Report showed 29 percent of participants expect an increase in economic activity, 62 percent expect no […]
A group representing the United States’ leading auto manufacturers, parts suppliers, auto dealers, parts distributors, retailers and vehicle service providers have formed the Driving American Jobs Coalition to oppose potential new Trump administration tariffs on imports of autos and auto parts. The coalition argues that imposing new auto tariffs will cause “massive job losses and […]
A letter last week from Tennessee manufacturers to Washington asks President Trump to consider the unintended consequences of Section 232 tariffs on steel-consuming companies. The group of six Dickinson Country manufacturers said they employ over 1,000 workers and depend on competitively priced steel to fabricate products that compete in a global marketplace. “We respectfully ask […]
Editor’s note: The following was contributed by analysts at the CRU Group. The Turkish-U.S. political relationship has soured sharply in the past week. U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted relations were “not so good” on Friday, Aug. 10, and doubled tariffs on U.S. imports of Turkish steel. Turkish President Erdogan responded with anger, suggesting the country […]
Turkey may not be the last nation to face escalating tariffs from the Trump administration, according to the American Institute for International Steel’s (AIIS) interpretation of the presidential proclamation. President Trump doubled the Section 232 duties on steel products from Turkey from 25 percent to 50 percent, effective Aug. 13. The proclamation behind the action […]
By CRU Group’s Zinc Analysis Team Despite lower-than-expected smelter output in China last year, which contributed to record refined deficits, 2018 marked the turning point for zinc’s price, reports CRU Group’s Zinc Analysis Team. Despite a still-tight refined market with stocks at critical levels, zinc’s price has had a shaky start to 2019, trading at […]
U.S. Steel announced on Thursday that it will invest a minimum of $750 million for asset revitalization at its Gary Works facility in Indiana. “We are pleased to be making this significant investment at Gary Works, which will improve the facility’s environmental performance, bolster our competitiveness and benefit the local community for years to come,” […]
We are now one week away from the start of the 2018 SMU Steel Summit Conference. We are continuing to accept registrations, and we expect the conference to be completely full when we kick off at 1 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 27. If you would like to register, you can do so on our website […]
The U.S. trade situation is causing some consternation, according to analysts at CRU. During a webinar on Tuesday, which was made available to SMU member companies, analysts discussed the trade measures that have been instituted by the Trump administration and the potential impact on the U.S. and global economies. Steel and aluminum tariffs were imposed […]
Effective Monday, August 13, the Trump administration doubled the tariffs on steel imports from Turkey to 50 percent, stunning the market and setting off a wave of speculation on how this trade action may impact the steel and scrap markets in North America. A tweet from President Trump early Friday set the change in motion: […]
In a surprising tweet on Friday, President Trump announced his intentions to double the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum from Turkey, raising the tax on imports to 50 percent for steel and 20 percent for aluminum. No word on when the change would take effect. “I have just authorized a doubling of Tariffs […]
In a surprising tweet earlier today, President Trump announced his intentions to double the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum from Turkey, raising the tax on imports to 50 percent for steel and 20 percent for aluminum. No word on when the change would take effect. “I have just authorized a doubling of Tariffs […]
Steel Market Update offers this early look at July’s import volume based on license data (see explanation below). The analysis evaluates the pressure that imports are having on individual products at the national level, but gives no indication of regional differences. SMU has developed a new series of regional reports for the six main flat […]
The numbers 201, 232 and 301 are getting a lot of headlines recently. They are sections under three U.S. laws that President Trump has used to impose tariffs on a variety of goods and countries. Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974 was used to place tariffs on imports of washing machines and solar […]
Caterpillar says it will raise prices due to U.S. tariff measures despite expecting a stronger profit outlook for the year. The major exporter of construction, mining and energy-related equipment estimates recently imposed tariffs will cost the company $100 million to $200 million in the second half of 2018—about 3 percent of its full-year profits. Strong […]
Most steel buyers are keeping inventory levels steady or even lower believing that, with steel prices so high, the risk is to the downside for the rest of this year. As one steel executive commented: “We are running inventories lean based on the elevated cost and our opinion that there is a greater chance for […]
Lewis Leibowitz, trade attorney and contributor to Steel Market Update, offers the following commentary on the latest developments in Washington: News reports abound on U.S. companies that are hurting as a result of the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum and the China Section 301 tariffs. Today, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative […]
Lewis Leibowitz, trade attorney and contributor to Steel Market Update, offers the following commentary on the latest developments in Washington: • Turkey Tariffs– President Trump tweeted on Friday that he “authorized a doubling of Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum with respect to Turkey as their currency, the Turkish Lira, slides rapidly downward against our very […]
Lewis Leibowitz, trade attorney and contributor to Steel Market Update, offers the following commentary on the latest developments in Washington: While attending and giving a presentation to the SMU Steel Summit conference in Atlanta on Monday, word came that the U.S. and Mexico had reached a tentative deal on a revised trade agreement. President Trump […]
A major aluminum company has requested that Canada be exempt from Section 232 aluminum tariffs so that it can import alloy from its Canadian mills. Alcoa has three smelting facilities in Canada and three in the United States, as well as other global locations. The Baie-Comeau facility in Quebec produces specialty aluminum in 24-inch slabs, […]
As a multinational business with a plant in the United States, should NLMK USA have a right to import slabs tariff-free from its parent company in Russia over the objections of domestic steel producers? The Trump administration maintains that steel imports, including Russian slabs, are a threat to the U.S. steel industry and thus national […]
Responding to a request for comment from Steel Market Update, both Nucor and U.S. Steel defended their objections to NLMK’s filing for exclusions that would allow them to import foreign-produced slabs without a tariff. NLMK USA President Bob Miller tells SMU that his company has already paid $90 million in tariffs on the Russian slabs […]
Are imports of semifinished steel a threat to U.S. national security? Apparently, that depends on the political environment at the time. The controversy over the Trump administration’s Section 232 tariffs is not a new debate. Restrictions on steel imports were on the table in 2001 during the Bush administration. Contrary to today, the Commerce Department […]
Lewis Leibowitz, trade attorney and contributor to Steel Market Update, offers the following commentary on the latest developments in Washington: Things are hectic these days. While the House has gone on recess until after Labor Day, the Senate is taking a mere two weeks off. Before taking their shortened break, the Senate passed the Miscellaneous […]