Why U.S. Steelmakers Won't Win From Trump's Tariffs
President Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs may not result in the intended boom for the U.S. steel industry.
“If the automakers are using less metal, they’re selling less product because of these tariffs, eventually I think it’s going to hurt steel stocks,” said Patrick Sanders, Assistant Managing Editor at U.S. News & World Report.
He pointed out that Bank of America has already downgraded U.S. Steel in light of Trump’s announcement.
The tariffs could also hit employment numbers, said Sanders.
“The last time that we had steel tariffs was in 2003. About 200,000 people lost their jobs. A lot of those were in the auto industry.”
On Thursday, Trump stated he’d slap a 25 percent tax on steel imports and a 10 percent tarriff on aluminum imported into the U.S.
Trump claimed the policy would benefit American industrials, tweeting, “We must protect our country and our workers. Our steel industry is in bad shape.”
Ahead of the release of October's consumer inflation data Tuesday, you may notice changes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. When it comes to how it estimates health insurance costs, the move is expected to give a boost to the U.S. inflation measure which will reverse a trend that has provided some relief.
A handful of retailers will report earnings this week, including Home Depot, Target, Walmart and Macy's, as gas prices peaked in September to the end of this latest quarter while borrowing costs remain at their highest levels in decades.
