Week in Review: Section 232 tariffs; metals prices pull back; China warns commodity speculators

Before we head into the weekend, let’s take a look back at the week that was here on MetalMiner, which included coverage of the Section 232 tariffs, the recent metals price pullback, China’s warning to commodity speculators and much more:
Each month, MetalMiner hosts a webinar on a specific metals topic. Explore the upcoming webinars and sign up for each on the MetalMiner Events page.

Week of May 24-28 (Section 232 tariffs, price pullback and more)

• Stuart Burns delved into the UK steel industry’s calls for protectionist measures, even for steels it doesn’t produce.
• In an agreement with a Brazilian university, Norsk Hydro plans to research potential uses of bauxite residue from its Brazilian mining operations.
• Metals prices have pulled back of late, as Burns summarized earlier this week.
• The US steel capacity utilization rate checked in at 79.0% last week, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported.
• Amid a run of ever-rising prices, the Chinese government sent a warning to commodity speculators and called for industry associations to work to restore “normal market orders.”
• To the chagrin of the European Union, the US’s Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum are likely not going away any time soon.
• MetalMiner contributor Christopher Rivituso overviewed the copper market.
• Chinese steel prices took a tumble this week.
• April global crude steel output fell slightly from the previous month, the World Steel Association reported.
• J.D. Power and LMC Automotive, in their monthly automotive sales forecast, projected a record May for US new-vehicle retail sales.
• The Economic Policy Institute released a new white paper in which it argues for the positive impact of the Section 232 aluminum tariff.
• Global copper mine production rose by 3.5% through the first two months of the year.
• The MetalMiner team held its latest webinar on Thursday, May 27, video of which is available in the MetalMiner Video Archive.

The MetalMiner Best Practice Library offers a wealth of knowledge and tips to help buyers stay on top of metals markets and buying strategies.