Other

• ITA begins probe into steel rail tie wire imports May 14, 2013

  The Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA) has initiated an anti-dumping duty investigation into imports of prestressed concrete steel rail tie wire from China, Mexico and Thailand.

• INTL FCStone acquires Cleartrade Exchange May 14, 2013

  New York-based commodities broker INTL FCStone Inc. has bought out electronic trading platform Cleartrade Exchange (CLTX), the trader said May 14.

• Steel mill product trade deficit shrinks May 09, 2013

  The trade deficit between iron and steel mill product imports and exports, valued at $544 million, fell 20 percent in March after growing 11.5 percent in February as imports declined at more than twice the rate of exports, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

• Steel needs faster, firmer trade policy: execs May 08, 2013

  Fundamental problems with U.S. trade policy—particularly when it comes to defining "injury"—are resulting in an uneven playing field in the battle against imports, steelmakers said.

• USTR seeking input on TPP talks with Japan May 06, 2013

  The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is requesting comments on negotiations with Japan about the in-development Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement.

• Obama selects two for cabinet May 03, 2013

  President Barack Obama nominated two new members to his cabinet May 2.

• Private equity, traders boosting mine M&A May 01, 2013

  Private equity and trading firms are stepping up their merger-and-acquisition activity in the mining sector, which is seeing its traditional investment patterns evolve and change, according to a managing director at BNP Paribas SA.

• Miners must decrease costs to increase ability to borrow May 01, 2013

  Mining firms need to cut costs in order to increase their ability to borrow money, James Verraster, chief executive officer of Auramet Trading LLC, said.

• Mine funding ‘sweet spots’ are in early stages: analyst May 01, 2013

  There are a couple of key investment "sweet spots" in mining projects, both of which are prior to the production stage, Douglas Groh, a portfolio manager and senior research analyst at Tocqueville Asset Management LP, said.

• Mining companies paying penalty for past risks: Cowen May 01, 2013

  Mining companies either failed to recognize or ignored the risks associated with developing projects and are now paying the penalty, Cowen Securities LLC analyst Adam Graf said.

• Departures at JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank as banks downsize metals teams Apr 24, 2013

  JPMorgan Chase & Co. made some members of its metals sales desk in London redundant this past week in the latest in a series of departures from major banks and brokerages, market sources have told AMM sister publication Metal Bulletin.

• ITC seeks input on duty-free imports Apr 22, 2013

  The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is seeking input for a newly initiated investigation into the probable economic effects of duty-free imports under a proposed U.S.-European Union Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement.

• Metal price indices tumble in March Apr 15, 2013

  Seven of nine prime and scrap metal price indices tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics declined month on month in March, and all but one index was weaker year on year.

• Metals industry jobs up, but pace slows Apr 08, 2013

  Primary metal producers and fabricators both registered employment gains in March compared with the previous month, but results were mixed in a year-on-year comparison.

• USTR seeks comments on proposed trade accord with EU Apr 02, 2013

  The U.S. Trade Representative’s office is seeking public comment on a proposed transatlantic trade and investment partnership agreement with the European Union.

• Ohio approves $1M to clean defunct RG site Mar 27, 2013

  Ohio’s budgetary oversight board has approved the release of $1 million from the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund to remediate the now-shuttered RG Steel LLC plant in Steubenville, Ohio.

• Bipartisan bill targets currency manipulation Mar 20, 2013

  A bill to hold currency manipulators accountable was introduced in the House of Representatives March 20.

• Commerce issues dumping margin on Chinese innerspring units Mar 20, 2013

  In the final result of an anti-dumping duty administrative review of imports of innerspring units from China from Feb. 1, 2011, to Jan. 31, 2012, the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a weighted-average dumping margin of 234.51 percent to Tai Wa Hong Group, including entities Tai Wa Commerce & Industrial (Macau) Co. Ltd. and Macau Commercial & Industrial Spring Mattress Manufacturer.

• Garner named RBC metals chief Mar 18, 2013

  RBC Capital Markets has appointed Bruce Garner managing director and head of metals.

• Marantis to temporarily helm USTR Mar 15, 2013

  Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Demetrios Marantis assumed the top post at the federal agency March 15.

• Obama chooses two for cabinet Mar 04, 2013

  President Barack Obama nominated two new members of his cabinet March 4.

• Metal producers, fabricators’ shipments, new orders climb Mar 04, 2013

  U.S. metal producers’ shipments rose 10.5 percent in January to $28.38 billion, more than making up for a 4.3-percent decline in December, while new orders jumped 12.8 percent to $28.93 billion after falling 4.7 percent in the same comparison.

• ITA amends margin on Chinese threaded rod imports Mar 01, 2013

  The U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA) has amended its final results in an anti-dumping administrative review of imports of certain steel threaded rod from China for the period spanning 2008 to 2010.

• Nonferrous scrap exports flat in Dec. Feb 15, 2013

  Nonferrous scrap exports were basically flat in December, although domestic traders noted continued demand from consumers in China and India.