Speaking of Steel

Nordic steel prices supported by supply concerns

Nordic steel prices are being supported by anticipated supply constraints and rising costs, MEPS’s latest Market in Minutes podcast reveals. Steel market analyst Adam Crookes joined MEPS managing editor Tom Sharpe to provide an 11-minute overview of the steel markets in Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden in the new episode.   Crookes said that steel demand had failed to live up to expectations during the first four months of the year. However, supply concerns have prompted a degree of restocking and some notable price increases. MEPS's Nordic hot rolled coil prices have risen by an average of more than 10% during the period.   Also discussed in the Nordic-themed Market in Minutes podcast are: * Rising inflation and the risks it poses to a steel demand recovery * How steelmakers’ delivery lead times indicate available capacity for certain products * Long products’ continued price rises amid increasing EAF production costs

Reshaping UK steel imports: the UK Steel-ISTA debate

Representatives from UK Steel and the Independent Steel Trade Association (ISTA) debated the possible repercussions of proposed steel import restrictions in the latest edition of MEPS’s Speaking of Steel podcast. ISTA president Godfrey Watt told MEPS that the Department for Business and Trade’s proposed July 1 cuts to tariff-free steel import quotas had provoked a “massive reaction” from steel traders. Meanwhile, UK Steel director general Gareth Stace described the new measures as “the biggest policy issue that I’ve come across”, adding: “I’m quite surprised that some commentators are throwing mud rather than saying what should happen so that whole steel supply chain is much more healthy in the future.”Listen to MEPS’s ‘Reshaping UK steel imports’ podcast, via YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts, to hear the full debate, including:How TRQ reductions of up to 98% suggest UK steelmakers are ready to secure a record market share. The political aspect of TRQs: how EU and US trade relations could yet influence the availability of tariff-free imports. MEPS’s latest insight into UK steel buyers’ response to import quota reductions, including rising prices and a step back from new overseas orders.

Will construction support high US steel prices in 2026?

MEPS’s new Speaking of Steel podcast debates whether demand from the United States construction sector will support surging long product prices during 2026.  Sarah Martin, associate director of forecasting at Dodge Construction Network, joins MEPS US steel market analysts Laura Hodges and Gary Sanders for the debate. The podcast episode, hosted by MEPS managing editor Tom Sharpe, can be accessed via YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.  Listen now to benefit from:  * A US construction sector outlook, delivered by Sarah Martin, associate director of forecasting at Dodge Construction Network  * Analysis of areas of strength and weakness in the US construction sector, and the outlook for steel demand  * Discussion around the effect of US Section 232 tariffs on the supply of rebar and beams to the construction sector, and the upward pressure applied to prices  * Consideration of the possible effects of the Middle East conflict on inflation and interest rates

Podcast: UK steel market at a crossroads

Insight shared in MEPS’s new Market in Minutes podcast reveals that the UK steel market is at a crossroads, with tightening supply and rising prices expected in the months ahead.  Research conducted for MEPS’s European Steel Review [https://mepsinternational.com/gb/en/products/european-steel-review-supplement] found that anticipation of amendments to the United Kingdom’s steel import quotas and tariffs had prompted a significant rise in coil values during March. A new quota for Turkish-origin metallic coated sheet was subsequently implemented on April 1, with widespread quota cuts and a doubling of above-quota tariffs expected from July 1.  In the latest episode of Market in Minutes, which can be accessed via YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts, MEPS head of research Stuart Gray joins managing editor Tom Sharpe to provide an update on trends in the UK steel market.  “The UK steel market is at crossroads right now,” Gray observed. “There is so much happening, so many influences on the prices researched and assessed by MEPS. It really is a very opportune time to deliver a market update.”  Among the themes discussed in the new Market in Minutes podcast, entitled “UK steel market at a crossroads”, are:  * UK steel buyers’ anxiety over the effect of tightening import quotas on supply  * How domestic steel production remains well below the country’s installed capacity  * Improved UK manufacturing PMIs not reflected in demand from steel distributors  * Growing concerns about the energy crisis triggered by the Middle East conflict  * MEPS’s steel price outlook and the growing risks it must incorporate  Market in Minutes shares monthly insight into a specific steel market researched by MEPS’s research team. It forms part of the Speaking of Steel podcast series [https://www.youtube.com/@mepsinternational], which shares discussion among researchers and external guests on the factors influencing global steel prices.  Regular insight from the UK steel market is published in MEPS’s European Steel Review [https://mepsinternational.com/gb/en/products/european-steel-review-supplement]. The monthly publication features steel prices, price indices, market commentaries and six-month price forecasts for the UK, as well as Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Contact MEPS [https://mepsinternational.com/gb/en/pages/contact-meps] to enquire for details about how to subscribe.

Is Section 232 US steel market's 'only certainty' after tariff shake-up?

The US Supreme Court's move to quash the Trump administration’s “reciprocal” import tariffs left the 50% Section 232 tariffs on steel intact, but its effects could be far-reaching, a new MEPS podcast concludes.  Steel market analyst Laura Hodges and Jon Carruthers-Green join MEPS’s managing editor Tom Sharpe to discuss the future of US tariffs in the latest 30-minute episode of the Speaking of Steel podcast.   Watch or listen to the latest episode of the Speaking of Steel podcast via YouTube or Spotify to hear the tariff-themed discussion on:  * The alternative trade measures that could replace the United States' IEEPA-based tariffs.  * How many previously agreed US trade deals are now “null and void”.  * Section 232 tariffs’ inflationary effect on US steel prices and the positive outcome for domestic steelmakers.  * The gap between US steel prices, and those in Europe and Asia, which is capping the scope for further increases.