Metals Meltdown Podcast

On this month’s S&P Global Platts Metals Meltdown podcast, pricing specialists Pascal Dick and Viral Shah talk to EMEA regional derivatives manager Marcel Goldenberg about the latest developments in the Turkish ferrous markets and discuss future price direction. Our specialists analyse...

This month, the S&P Global Platts Metals Meltdown series focuses on recent market developments in the Mexican rebar market and takes a look at what topics will become important in 2019. In this episode, Platts analyzes international factors on the Mexican steel market such as the US tariffs on...

The S&P Global Platts Metals Meltdown series focuses on recent market developments in the European steel market and takes a look at what topics will become important in 2019. In this episode, Platts analyzes the new definitive safeguard measures on steel imports into the European Union - due to...

The S&P Global Platts Metals Meltdown series focuses on recent market developments in the coils market and takes a look at what topics will become important for the market in 2019. In this episode, Platts analyzes recent price drops that turned market sentiment bearish and are affecting...

The S&P Global Platts Metals Meltdown series focuses on recent developments in the Turkish raw material and long steel markets while also looking at the European import quotas on wire rod and rebar and how this impacts the upstream demand and supply. In this episode, Platts further analyzes how...

Tariffs continue to dominate the steel markets with US prices at multi-year highs and international traders finding it increasingly difficult to do business in Europe. Back once again, the renegade steel bros, Peter Brennan and Christopher Davis, round off another eventful month in the steel...

President Donald Trump has extended the exemption for steel and aluminum tariffs until June 1, increasing uncertainty around the extent of the eventual measures. Meanwhile, Chinese steel prices firmed in April despite official production figures continuing to defy the much vaunted capacity cuts....

International steel buyers are increasingly nervous about the weakness in Asian prices and trade-distorting tariffs. Rising inventories, softening demand and high production figures are combining to lower prices in China, while negotiations for exemptions from tariffs in the US are well under way....

After months of discussion, US President Donald Trump signed off on sweeping global metals tariffs -- 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum -- that exclude its Nafta neighbors to the north and south. All other countries will have to seek case-by-case exemptions from the White House, though, and trade...

Higher global steel output -- despite winter cuts in China -- does not seem to be dampening pricing or demand. And in the US, imports are up, but so are steel prices. Will the bull run continue even if President Trump opts for far-reaching tariffs or quotas under Section 232? Will he and his...

Elevated pricing and strong margins have many steel mills happy about the start to 2018. But questions remain regarding potential trade measures and how long the good times might linger into the New Year. S&P Global Platts Christopher Davis and Peter Brennan take a look at what's driving the...

52 million mt of Chinese steel production capacity will not be utilized as part of mandated winter output cuts. But tightening supply is just one part of the picture in China as strong demand and low inventories have helped bolster prices, creating fertile conditions for the international markets...

A meeting hosted by Italian steel distributors’ group, Assofermet, in Milan provided a glimpse into the China Iron & Steel Association’s strategy for winning over Europe. At a time when trade litigation has strained relations between the two markets, CISA says now is not the time...

The mood of C-level executives attending the World Steel Association's annual meeting in Brussels was more upbeat than in years past, as mill margins and finished steel prices remain elevated. But the extent of China's phased out induction furnace capacity surprised many when worldsteel released...

The global graphite electrode shortage is likely to linger through next year, some say, raising input costs for steelmakers and potentially curbing production. At the same time, uncertainty remains regarding the ongoing US Section 232 investigation -- which coupled with existing trade litigation --...

Hurricane Harvey could result in as many as 500,000 vehicles being shredded in what would be a major boost in US scrap supply. International scrap prices were strong in August, as was the entire global steel and raw material complex, and the outlook in key markets including Europe look strong until...

August holidays usually signal sleepy markets and slumping prices. But this summer has yet to see a slowdown when it comes to pricing for raw materials and finished steel, especially in China. And despite the uncertainty of potential trade litigation hanging over the US and Europe, those markets...

The global steel market awaits safeguard measures on US steel imports with bated breath, but the nervousness surrounding potential further disruption to steel trade belies a recovery in the Chinese steel market. The Metals Meltdown trio of Peter Brennan, Christopher Davis and Sebastian Lewis...

S&P Global Platts Metals Meltdowntriumvirate discusses insights shared by some of the biggest names in the industry from the sidelines of the recent Platts Global Metals Awards in London. Hear what Nev Power of Fortescue Metals Group, Gina Rinehart from Hancock Prospecting and Liberty House's...

The recent US launch of a Section 232 investigation regarding steel imports and national security has changed the tenor of steel trade litigation. Metals Meltdown’s Christopher Davis and Peter Brennan discuss how this move could be the start of a new story in steel – and how it could...

We have passed the Ides of March, typically known as the days of full moons and holidays on the Roman calendar -- or the date that Emperor Julius Caesar met his demise -- and immortalized by the great Bard himself, William Shakespeare.For the global steel industry, this time of the year has come to...

Prices have been on the rise in early 2017 for steelmaking inputs and finished materials, but so has production. Year-on- year Chinese steel output was up 7% in January, according to the latest World Steel Association data, and US production rose by 6.5%. Can both upward trends co-exist, or will...

As the Year of the Rooster dawns in China, newly-elected President Donald Trump is getting a running start at steel intensive infrastructure projects in the US and final steel production numbers are out for 2016. The Metals Meltdown boys – Christopher Davis, Peter Brennan and Sebastian Lewis...

It’s the week before Christmas, and the end of the year finds the three wise men of Metals Meltdown – Christopher Davis, Peter Brennan and Sebastian Lewis – reflecting on what’s happened in the global steel industry in 2016 and predicting where production and prices could be...

With coking coal supply set to come back on stream, steel buyers are increasingly nervous that the current boom in steel prices could bust. Will coke costs weaken? Will European and US steel producers achieve their increased offer levels? And what impact will a future president Trump have on...

Metals Meltdown's Christopher Davis and Peter Brennan compare notes on the recent World Steel Association gathering in Dubai, where steel execs were upbeat and global demand projections pointed toward growth. And Sebastian Lewis chats up China's economic outlook and Beijing air-quality trends as a...

Metals Meltdown's triumphant trio, Christopher Davis, Sebastian Lewis and Peter Brennan, reunites in Platts' London studios for their monthly take on the goings on in global steel. Metallurgical coal pricing has continued its meteoric rise, China heavyweights moved closer to merging operations and...

The Metals Meltdown boys, Christopher Davis, Sebastian Lewis and Peter Brennan, are back with the latest monthly take on the global steel markets. The Chinese market has firmed on stronger raw materials and expected production cuts, while in Europe supply tightness and trade cases are expected to...

Back once again to discuss all things steel, the intrepid Christopher Davis, Sebastian Lewis and Peter Brennan take us through another intriguing month in the steel sector. An attempted coup spooked the Turkish market, mergers and acquisitions were back in vogue in Europe, while China is looking at...

The wait for the first significant merging of Chinese steelmakers could be at an end. The regal trio of Peter Brennan, Sebastian Lewis and Christopher Davis cast their collective eye over the potential impact as well as the latest developments in the international markets.We welcome any feedback or...

Having risked his reputation, and his finest deerstalker, by predicting an imminent downturn in the Chinese steel market; an unscathed Sebastian Lewis joined Christopher Davis and Peter Brennan for the anniversary edition of the Metals Meltdown. But while the Chinese market has been collapsing,...

Sebastian Lewis, Peter Brennan and Christopher Davis in our London studioCentered on the strength in the domestic Chinese market, steel mills are forcing up prices around the world. The Meltdown boys are back for another month and this time that venerable trio of Sebastian Lewis, Peter Brennan and...

With scene-setting worthy of the great Bard himself, William Shakespeare, our very own soothsayers, Peter Brennan, Sebastian Lewis and Chris Davis deliver their predictions for steel markets across the globe.With the ferrous supply chain left reeling early March amid an unprecedented hike in steel...

Despite being the season for romance and celebration, the metals industry has been experiencing no such love of late. When it comes to earnings and the overall financial health of major producers -- on both the ferrous and nonferrous sides -- there is seemingly angst and heartbreak in recent...

The year started off with some degree of positivity for the steel markets. Mills in Europe and the United States pushed for price increases at the end of 2015, while Chinese producers increased offers that triggered a brief rally in the markets.In this post-festive season reunion of the Three Kings...

In this final episode of 2015, Metals Meltdown's merry little elves, Chris Davis, Peter Brennan and Sebastian Lewis, look at how prices for finished steel and most inputs have fallen as steadily as a winter snowstorm, with very little interest shown by customers for buying material of late.The US...

In this episode, Metals Meltdown goes beyond Charles Dickens' classic, A Tale of Two Cities, and discusses a tale of two continents instead -- focusing on Asia and South America, and in particular the BRIC countries, which many economists once hailed with great expectations.How are these recently...

In the inaugural Metals Meltdown podcast, Platts Men of Steel Chris Davis, Peter Brennan, and Sebastian Lewis lift the proverbial iron lid on the economically challenging global landscape for metals, and tell us how raw materials are impacting pricing and the outlook for finished steel goods. Amid...