US to lift Section 232 tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports
In a joint statement today, the US and Canadian governments announced the US will lift Section 232 duties on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and Mexico, in anticipation of ratifying the new USMCA trade deal. Canada in turn will remove retaliatory tariffs on US exports to the country. In addition, the US and Canada will drop all pending litigation in the World Trade Organization related to the tariffs, set up measures to prevent “unfairly... Read More
US reduces tariffs on Turkey to 25 percent
The White House has announced that the 50 percent duty on Turkish steel imports has been halved to 25 percent as of May 17. In a statement, the administration said that since the implementation of the higher tariff, steel imports from Turkey declined 48 percent in 2018, “with the result that the domestic industry’s capacity utilization has improved at this point to approximately the target level recommended” in the initial DOC report... Read More
Short Range Outlook : May 2019
Global long steel market mostly unstable despite supply-demand equilibrium A balance has been maintained between supply and demand in the global long steel products market, but it is still difficult to transact business globally. However, shorter-distance regional business is good. The global market can be described as mostly unstable, with only a few exceptions. Absence of Chinese still provides support for the rest of the world We have to take into... Read More
Short Range Outlook : March 2019
Positive mood prevails in global long steel products market despite virus of protectionism The global long steel products market is currently in a positive mood amid good demand worldwide. Had there not been protectionist actions like additional tariffs, quotas or safeguard measures, the global business scenario would be much better. Protectionism is like a virus, expanding and hurting the international trade environment as we knew it. Canada and... Read More
Short Range Outlook : February 2019
Price levels improve in global long steel products market despite uncertainties Prices in the global long steel products market are better compared to our last report, though there is a certain degree of uncertainty regarding how sustainable the current price levels are. The situation has gotten worse generally in terms of demand and supply, as there seems to be a general worsening of expectations and the numbers coming in do not bode well. Brazilian... Read More
Short Range Outlook : January 2019
Is globalization of the world’s long steel products market now at an end? The global long steel products market is heading towards a more complicated and difficult period as the globalization of the steel business is being rewound amid a clash between liberal and protectionist trade policies that are somehow tied to political ups and downs between world leaders. It seems that global business will be relatively quiet as long as protective measures... Read More
Short Range Outlook : December 2018
Global long steel market facing many unknowns amid protectionism and price corrections There is huge uncertainty in the global long steel products market as there are a lot of unknowns against the backdrop of protectionist measures and price corrections. US-China ceasefire may reduce volatility in international market The trade dispute between the US and China has been kicked down the road for another 90 days. The ceasefire in the trade war between... Read More
Short Range Outlook : October 2018
Global long steel market still in equilibrium though regional differences observed The global long steel products market still seems to be in equilibrium in terms of supply and demand. However, the steel trade is becoming more and more regional and so different supply and demand situations may be observed in various regions. Accordingly, although the overall market is generally stable, there are fluctuations seen in certain regions. Sharp increase... Read More
US and South Korea sign new free trade deal, including quotas for US steel imports
According to news reports, the United States and South Korea signed a revised free-trade deal. The US-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) reportedly addresses many trade issues faced by US exporters, mainly automotive producers. The new KORUS also limits steel and aluminum imports from South Korea. According to the agreement, the United States will impose a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports. Steel, however, will be subject to a product-specific... Read More
IREPAS in Istanbul: All eyes on protectionist measures as IREPAS celebrates its 35th anniversary with record attendance
The 79th meeting of IREPAS (International Rebar Exporters and Producers Association) was held in Istanbul, Turkey on September 16-18, 2018. There were 139 producer representatives among the record 519 registered delegates from a total of 52 different countries. There were also 84 registrations representing 45 different raw material suppliers. At the opening of the conference which celebrated the 35th year of this bi-annual meeting, Murat Cebecioglu,... Read More