Tag: tariffs

Have we hit a bit of a lull when it comes to the recent price bump? Mills certainly capitalized on the threat of tariffs and the unknown, with much that still could unfold.

On February 10, President Trump announced a massive restructuring of tariffs on steel and aluminum. Those changes took effect on March 12, and they will impact US manufacturing. What will the impact be? Bye-bye exclusions Perhaps the most important change, which hits imports from all countries, is the loss of a product exclusion process to […]

These developments come at a time when the global trading system has been shaken up by US President Donald Trump’s greater use of tariffs, including employing Section 232 legislation to impose a 25% levy on steel from all countries to protect national security.

Are President Trump's tariff policies helping? Steel buyers offer their opinions on the impact of Trump's tariffs.

The aluminum market is facing a wave of uncertainty following the latest Section 232 tariffs, leaving many in the industry asking the same key questions – from why the Midwest Premium isn’t reacting as expected to how these tariffs will impact Canada, value-added products, and scrap flows – there’s plenty to unpack. We’ve put together […]

From the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 to George W. Bush's temporary 30% tariff, SMU takes a look at steel tariffs past.

The European Commission unveiled A European Steel and Metals Action Plan aimed at safeguarding the European Union’s steel and base metals production.

The ABI is a leading indicator for near-term nonresidential construction activity and projects business conditions ~9-12 months down the road (the typical lead time between architecture billings and construction spending).

Demand is up, but tariffs raise concerns

President Trump said he has no plans to create exemptions on the recently enacted steel and aluminum tariffs, according to media reports.

Is a fissure opening up between manufacturers and the mills on President Trump's tariffs?

International trade attorney Alan Price sat down with SMU to unpack the latest developments in Trump’s tariff merry-go-round.

Let's take a look at different tariff scenarios.

President Trump’s tariffs are aimed in large part at bringing manufacturing back to the United States. In theory, it’s simple enough: Want to avoid a big tariff? Make it in the US!

The United States has officially reinstated undiluted Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum as of Wednesday, . All imports of the metals, as well as some derivative products, now face a 25% tax when entering the US.

Canada and the European Union are retaliating against what they deem to be unjustified tariffs on steel and aluminum by the United States.

Domestic steel trade associations, manufacturing groups, and the United Steelworkers (USW) union had mixed reactions to the implementation of new Section 232 tariffs without exclusions on Wednesday. Trade groups representing steel mills broadly supported President Trump’s actions, while the USW and some groups representing manufacturers were more critical. AISI Kevin Dempsey, president and CEO of […]

What are steel buyers saying this week about prices, demand, the import market, the evolving tariff situation, and more?

With the tariff craziness showing no signs of abating, we take you on a tour of the current situation.

“CBP expects full compliance from the trade community for accurate reporting and payment of the additional duties. CBP will take enforcement action on non-compliance," the agency said in a March 7 bulletin.

Section 232 tariffs are expected to go into effect March 12.

The penalties are expected to be reinstated on Wednesday, March 12. 

One thing we've learned from our survey here at SMU: When prices are rising, people have a lot to say. You can be assured that with our most recent survey, the comments were coming in fast and furious.

Imposing country-of-origin duties plus the upwardly revised Section 232 duties would create an untenable value for Midwest P1020. Modeling the extreme outcome of 25% country-of-origin tariffs plus 25% Section 232 tariffs could put Midwest physical premiums as high as $0.65 per pound. No, that is not a typo: $0.65 per pound! Primary aluminum supply chains would rotate from importing Canadian aluminum to importing it from India, the Middle East, or other very distant origins. That is worrisome for manufacturers.

"We urge you to resist any requests for exceptions or exclusions and to continue standing strong on behalf of American steel," the companies wrote.

The Trump 1.0 tariffs appeared to have little positive effect on the US manufacturing, partly because they hurt export competitiveness.

Wonder what the fallout from all the Trump tariffs might be? A manufacturing renaissance? A post-WWII order in ashes? Or something a little more down the middle? Then register for our next Community Chat on Thursday, March 13 at 11 am ET. Yes, you read that correctly, SMU is shattering precedent by holding a Community Chat on a day that is not Wednesday. Our featured speaker will be Alan Price, a leading trade attorney at Wiley and someone whose columns you read regularly in SMU.

Before we get whipsawed by the current moment, it’s important to reflect on optimism. Whatever happens, consumers are going to need steel.

Headline risk has returned to the ferrous complex, with both hot-rolled coil (HRC) and busheling ferrous scrap (BCH) markets surging in response to fresh trade restrictions.

Manufacturing activity exhibited slight to modest increases across a majority of districts. However, manufacturers expressed concerns over the potential impact of looming trade policy changes between late January and February.