Michael Cowden

It’s tough to find a new angle to write about in a market that continues to be characterized by the same trends. You know the ones: extremely limited spot tons, long lead times, low inventories, and high prices.

Sheet and plate prices either held their ground or increased this week amid what remains an historically tight spot market.

We’re a little over a week away from the opening of SMU Steel Summit, one of the largest gatherings of flat-rolled steel professionals in the world. If you’re registered, I encourage you to download the conference app. You’ll use it not only for networking but also to ask questions to our speakers. You’ll also need the app to respond to some of our snap polls.

Labor contract negotiations between the United Steelworkers (USW) union and Cleveland-Cliffs continued this past week, the union said in an update to members.

Labor contract talks between the United Steelworkers (USW) union and U.S. Steel have made some headway.

Labor contract talks between the United Steelworkers (USW) union and U.S. Steel have made some headway.

Sheet prices and plate prices continued their relentless march higher over the last week as more participants said they were effectively on allocation, especially when it comes to hot-rolled (HR) coil.

A potential trade deal with Canada and a possible reduction in Section 232 tariffs has rocketed back into the news just a few weeks after it seemed like negotiations between Washington and Ottawa were kaput. SMU's Michael Cowden shares his thoughts on Section 232 and a potential trade deal with Canada.

Trade talks between the US and Canada collapsed late on Friday, just hours after media reports that an accord was near.

The United Steelworkers (USW) union remains “far apart” from U.S. Steel on issues that matter most to its members.