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US steel import tariffs to double to 50pc: Trump

  • Spanish Market: Metals
  • 30/05/25

The US will double its section 232 tariffs on imported steel to 50pc from 25pc, US president Donald Trump said today at a rally at US Steel's Mon Valley mill near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Details on when and how the tariff increase will be implemented were not given.

Trump also confirmed that Nippon will go ahead with a $14bn investment in integrated steelmaker US Steel, but did not clarify if the deal is a merger. US Steel will still "maintain control" and its headquarters will remain in Pittsburgh, Trump said, claiming the investment will be the biggest in the history of Pennsylvania and in the US steel industry.

As part of the investment, Nippon will spend $2.2bn on updating Mon Valley and $7bn on updating mills and ore mines in Indiana, Minnesota, Alabama and Arkansas, Trump said. The investment over the next 14 months will create 100,000 jobs and and assure the operation of US Steel's blast furnaces for the next 10 years, according to Trump.

Argus-assessed US hot-rolled coil prices spiked to $950/short ton (st) ahead of the imposition of 25pc tariffs on 12 March, but have since fallen to $881.25/st on weakening demand.


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06/06/25

US job growth slows in May, unemployment rate steady

US job growth slows in May, unemployment rate steady

Houston, 6 June (Argus) — US hiring eased in May, reflecting a labor market that is gradually slowing but has yet to reflect significant damage from the White House's volatile policies including tariffs. The US added 139,000 nonfarm jobs in May, slightly above economists' expectations for about 130,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Job growth for April was revised down by 30,000 to 147,000 and job growth for March was revised lower to 120,000 from an initial 185,000. Job growth averaged 149,000 over the 12 months prior to May, BLS said. Fed funds futures after the report showed a 99.9pc probability the Federal Reserve will keep its target rate unchanged at the next meeting in two weeks, up 3.3 points from the prior day. The Fed has signalled it will continue to monitor the impacts of the administration's tariff, fiscal and other policies before adjusting policy. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.2pc and has remained in a range of 4-4.2pc since May 2024. Federal government jobs declined by 22,000 and are off by 59,000 since January, reflecting the initial impacts of President Donald Trump's efforts to slash the federal workforce, which have been challenged in the courts. Employees on paid leave or receiving severance pay are reported as employed. Leisure and hospitality added 48,000 jobs last month following 29,000 jobs the prior month. Health care added 78,000 last month following gains of 85,000. Professional and business services lost 18,000 after gains of 10,000. Temporary help services, considered a leading indicator of labor market strength, lost 18,000. Transportation and warehousing gained 6,000 in May after a loss of 8,000. Manufacturing jobs fell by 8,000 following gains of 5,000. Motor vehicles and parts added 400 workers. Mining and logging lost 1,000 jobs. Average hourly earnings were up by 3.9pc in May, unchanged from the prior month. By Bob Willis Send comments and request more information at [email protected] Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Australia's Fortescue applies to build renewables hub


06/06/25
06/06/25

Australia's Fortescue applies to build renewables hub

Sydney, 6 June (Argus) — Australian metals producer Fortescue has applied to the Western Australia (WA) Environmental Protection Authority to build a 2.1GW wind farm and 220kV transmission line connecting it to the company's WA Iron Bridge magnetite mine, in an effort to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Fortescue's proposed East Pilbara Generation Hub would reduce the company's scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions — from its own operations and purchased electricity — by at least 1.5mn t/yr of CO2 equivalent (CO2e), it said in proposal released today, although it was unable to provide a breakdown of scope 1 and scope 2 savings. The project is still at an early stage, with the company not having made a final investment decision relating to it, a company spokesperson told Argus . Fortescue's proposed energy hub would allow it to replace diesel and gas-fired stationary power sources with electricity from wind turbines. Iron Bridge is covered under the Australian safeguard mechanism — a national government policy for reducing industrial emissions. The mine generated 104,560t CO2e of covered scope 1 emissions in the 2023-24 financial year (July-June), which was above its baseline of 100,000t CO2e. Fortescue had to surrender 2,414 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) and 2,146 safeguard mechanism credits (SMCs) as a result. Fortescue has seven facilities under the safeguard mechanism. It [generated 1.96mn t CO2e of scope 1 emissions in 2023-24]( https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2678950) across the seven facilities, which was above its cumulative baseline of 1.85mn t CO2e. The company surrendered 57,753 ACCUs and 49,749 SMCs over the year, with most of the units coming from its 75mn t/yr Solomon iron ore mine complex. By Avinash Govind Send comments and request more information at [email protected] Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Australian iron ore exports fall in April


05/06/25
05/06/25

Australian iron ore exports fall in April

Sydney, 5 June (Argus) — Australia's iron ore exports decreased by 1.6pc on the year to 73mn t in April, largely because of waning demand for Australian iron ore in South Korea, although exports may have grown in May. Total iron ore shipments from Western Australia hit a 2025 high in the week to 24 May, as UK-Australian producer Rio Tinto and Australian producer Fortescue ramped up sales. South Korean steelmakers bought 3.4mn t of iron ore in April, down by 18pc from 4.1mn t a year earlier. This decline came despite a broader increase in steelmaking input sales to South Korean producers. Australian coking coal exports to South Korea doubled on the year in April, while Chinese sales of ferro-silicon — a steel strengthening material — to South Korean firms rose by 32pc on the year in January-April. Australian iron ore exports to Japan rose by 4.5pc to 3.9mn t in April, from 3.8mn t a year earlier. Exports to Japan may continue to grow, as the country's crude steel output is expected to fall by 4.9pc on the year in April–June, according to its trade and industry ministry. Australia's main iron ore port, Port Hedland, could face labour disruptions soon. Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) workers recently rejected a collective bargaining agreement with Australian port authority Pilbara Ports. The union has not received strike authorisation yet, but is planning to hold a strike ballot, an MUA organiser told Argus on 2 June. Argus -assessed iron ore fines prices have declined since the start of April, with iron ore fines 62pc Fe cfr Qingdao last assessed at $94.95/t on 4 June, down from $103.75/t on 1 April. By Avinash Govind Australian iron ore exports Apr 25 Apr 24 Mar 25 ±% y-o-y Jan-Apr 25 Jan-Apr 24 ±% YTD Total ( mn t ) 73 75 81 -1.6 280 285 -1.6 Value ( $bn ) 6.2 6.7 7.0 -7.5 24 29 -17 Average Price ( $/t ) 85 90 86 -5.8 86 103 -16 Average FX rate 0.6 0.7 0.6 -1.7 0.6 0.7 -3.9 — Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian iron ore exports (ABS) $/t Send comments and request more information at [email protected] Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Foreign-brand EV sales surge in Japan despite US tariff


05/06/25
05/06/25

Foreign-brand EV sales surge in Japan despite US tariff

Tokyo, 5 June (Argus) — Japan's domestic sales of foreign-brand electric vehicles (EVs) sales surged in May, but the US' blanket 25pc tariff on automobiles had little impact on this, the Japan Automobile Importers Association (JAIA) told Argus . Japan's domestic EV sales were largely stable in May from a year earlier at 3,791 units, according to data from three industry groups — the Automobile Dealers Association, the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association and JAIA. Sales of imported EVs surged by more than 60pc on the year to around 2,400 units in May. But this is not because of the US tariffs on automobiles, according to the representative of JAIA who spoke to Argus . There was some anticipation that a number of foreign EV producers, especially European manufacturers, may divert deliveries meant for the US to Japan, following the US' across-the-board tariff on automobile imports. But the tariff had almost no impact on May sales, the JAIA representative said, adding that JAIA's member firms including major European brands share a similar view. The increase in foreign-brand EV sales in May can be mostly attributed to robust demand from Japanese consumers, according to JAIA. Foreign manufactures including China's BYD, Germany's BMW, South Korea's Hyundai, and Sweden's Volvo reported a rise in sales, JAIA said. Tesla did not disclose its sales volumes in Japan. Demand for foreign-brand EVs has risen over the past year. Its share in total domestic EV sales jumped to 63pc in May from 39pc in the same period in 2024. Foreign-brand EVs gained popularity in the Japanese market mostly because they offer a wider variety of EV models compared with domestic manufacturers, according to JAIA. Meanwhile, the country's domestic brand EV sales stood at around 1,400 units in May, down sharply by around 40pc from a year earlier. This is partly driven by a decrease in sales of Nissan's Sakura, a top-selling domestic model, which almost halved on the year to 858 units. By Yusuke Maekawa Send comments and request more information at [email protected] Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US vehicle sales drop in May on tariff pressures


04/06/25
04/06/25

US vehicle sales drop in May on tariff pressures

Houston, 4 June (Argus) — Domestic sales of light vehicles in May dropped to their lowest level since the beginning of the year, reflecting a falloff in purchasing after the last of the new US administration's import tariffs targeting the automotive industry went into effect at the beginning of the month. Sales of light vehicles — trucks and cars — fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 15.6mn units in May, down from 17.3mn in April, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Wednesday. Last month's total was below May 2024's annualized rate of 15.8mn and the lowest since this January's 15.5mn pace. Consumers had rushed to buy ahead of US president Donald Trump implementing 25pc tariffs on imports of vehicles on 3 April and imports of parts on 3 May, with the latter expected to increase domestic automaker's production costs that would be passed on to consumers. Automakers now will have to contend with higher costs for steel and aluminum after Trump on Tuesday doubled Section 232 import tariffs on those products and their derivatives to 50pc. Borrowing costs also remain high for buyers, further disincentivizing large-scale purchases, as the US Federal Reserve continues to hold its target interest rate at 4.25-4.5pc on concerns that tariff-related uncertainty may fuel inflation and lead to a slowdown in economic growth. Truck sales in May dropped by 9.1pc to a 13mn unit annual rate, while sales of cars dropped by 10pc to a 2.6mn unit rate in the same timeframe. Domestic vehicle production in April fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 10.16mn from an upwardly revised 10.21mn in in March, according to US Federal Reserve data. That compares with 10.57mn in April 2024. Auto assemblies are reported with a one-month lag to sales. By Alex Nicoll Send comments and request more information at [email protected] Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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