Week in Review: Section 232, Nickel Fundamentals and a Brexit Check-In

Before we head into the weekend, let’s take a look back at the week that was.
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But first, if you plan on partaking in Cinco de Mayo celebrations tomorrow, you might want to check out our post from 2016 about stainless steel and … tequila.
“Why is stainless steel in tequila production? Of course, stainless vats are a sanitary choice; however, stainless does not impart any additional flavors into the mixture of blue agave juice and the distinctive water called the mosto,” MetalMiner’s Katie Benchina Olsen wrote in the 2016 post.
Check out the entire post for more about the link between stainless steel and tequila.
Now, to recap the week:

• MetalMiner’s Stuart Burns touched on nickel fundamentals on Monday.
• The United States Trade Representative’s office released its annual Special Section 301 report, in which countries are identified for special monitoring with respect to IP enforcement. Unsurprisingly, China made the Priority Watch List.
• Remember Brexit? Well, that hasn’t gone away — in two parts, Burns offers an update on Britain’s Brexit effort and all it entails. (Part 1, Part 2.)
• In the ongoing Section 232 saga, the U.S. announced earlier this week that the temporary tariffs exemptions for the E.U., Canada and Mexico, which were set to expire May 1, would be extended 30 days.
• Kicking off our Monthly Metals Index (MMI) series for the month, we looked at the automotive market, which saw sales slump in April.
• U.S. construction spending in March dropped from the previous month.
• MetalMiner’s Katie Benchina Olsen delves into the case for a Section 232 exemption for the joint venture between ATI Metals and Tsingshan Stainless.
• Demand for gold in Q1 this year was at its lowest since 2008, MetalMiner’s Taras Berezowksy noted.
• So-called “floating solar plants” are gaining momentum in India as the country increasingly looks to grow its supply of renewable energy sources.

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