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More of Brazil’s sugar scooped up for ethanol, but sweet spot elusive
When you’re sitting on a shed load of sugarcane, it’s nice to know you have options. For Brazil, as the powerhouse of global sugar production, that choice falls into two broad areas — make sugar, or...
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US steel welcomes the dawn of a new era of protection
Gay marriage: Legal. Obamacare: Affirmed. Trade Promotion Authority: Granted. With the Confederate flag coming down or off the shelves in many locales as well, last week was watershed week in US...
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Trying to find what works for US steelmakers and employees
Negotiating a union labor contract is often a slog. It gets more complicated if it’s a multi-year deal, and a bit treacherous if it’s a highly cyclical business. All three apply to the steel industry,...
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The order is rapidly fadin’ and China’s steel industry faces new pressures
China’s all too apparent slowdown is all the rage. The Shanghai Composite lost more than a fifth of its value over the five days to Wednesday August 26, with record one-day plummets witnessed Monday...
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Indonesia’s ore export ban a hard blow to China Nickel Resources
China Nickel Resources, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, had to admit publicly how badly it is suffering from the Indonesian government’s sudden ban on all ore exports, including iron and...
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Base metals continue to struggle in August on China concerns
In August, the base metals market remained focused on the situation in China with metal prices continuing to struggle on the back of further volatility across Asian equity markets. The Shanghai...
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Turning away from blast furnaces still leaves problems for steel industry
It’s hard to say what was more surprising: that blast furnaces may no longer be needed for steel production or that Nucor has hippies. Tim Worstall, a fellow at the Adam Smith Institute in London, says...
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Met Coke World Summit: Less minutiae, more macro
As conferences go, this US event may be the most cerebral in the steel raw materials calendar. At the annual Met Coke World Summit in Pittsburgh this week, some of the presentations maybe far too...
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Recent news paints global picture of doom and gloom for steel
The steel industry doesn’t have much to cheer about these days. Some recent news items tell the tale: Essar Steel Algoma, a Canadian flat steel producer, filed for creditor protection for the second...
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Yes, Virginia, there is a turnaround for the steel sector
Once the US Thanksgiving holiday passes it is never too soon to summon the Christmas spirit. The American steel industry, suffering persistently low prices, high inventories and weak demand, could use...
View ArticleShould we expect the expected in the US steel sheet market in 2017?
The New Year’s hangovers have all worn off by now and US sheet market players are all back at their desks, but questions remain about what should be expected in 2017. The age-old response — “If I knew,...
View ArticleThe waiting is the hardest part for US steel markets
The American steel industry is desperately in need of relief, but it’s not what you think. We have heard a lot about the possibility of import restrictions stemming from the government’s ongoing...
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