SMU Steel Buyers Sentiment Index Shows Market’s Nervous about Section 232

SMU Steel Buyers Sentiment Index has come off historical highs set during the late first and early second quarters 2017. However, buyers and sellers of flat rolled steel continue to be optimistic about the potential for their company to be successful in both the existing market as well as three to six months into the future.

Buyers and sellers of flat rolled steel are clearly concerned about the pending Section 232 decision and its potential effects on the market, according to Steel Market Update’s latest market survey. The Trump administration continues to study whether steel imports are a threat to national security and should be restricted with new tariffs or quotas. Results of the investigation were to have been released by the end of June, but were delayed, keeping the market on pins and needles.