US Steel Production Gains Traction amid Import Substitution

With the Section 232 tariffs, the US Commerce Department intends to improve the domestic steel industry’s capacity utilization rate. The US steel industry has operated at a capacity use ratio below 80% since November 2014. Low capacity use could be due to higher imports. US steel producers, including AK Steel (AKS), had to shut down some of their plants and curtail production in response to high import penetration levels. However, we’ve seen some respite from steel imports in February. Imports could fall further after the Section 232 tariffs. ...