JPM Steel | Daily Despatch: Asian spreads -1%; US spreads +1% (at 4-year high); DDR4 +3% WoW

Research evidence excerpt

JPM Steel | Daily Despatch: Asian spreads -1%; US spreads +1% (at 4-year high); DDR4 +3% WoW

ast week, up compared to both the previous week (79.3%) and one year prior (78.2%).

Source: SMU

• US steel imports 22.9% lower in first six months of 2026 compared with 2025: US steel imports in the first six months of

2026 fell to 11.3 million st, down 22.9% from the year prior. Finished steel imports fell to 8.2 million st, down 24.5% from the

year prior. The US has also continued to see a decline in imports from Canada, Mexico and Brazil, which are all top US

trading partners. Source: Platts

• Trump says he does not care about USMCA as US, Canada plan trade talks: US President Donald Trump said on

Tuesday that he does not care about updating the North American trade agreement as Canada disclosed plans to send senior

trade officials to Washington for more talks ‌this week amid new tariffs and heightened trade tensions. Trump, who on July 1

opted against extending the USMCA, told Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends" program that the 6-year-old trade pact was

more important to the US's North American neighbors. Source: Reuters

• Voestalpine doubles its production capacity at its Indiana site in US with new plant: Voestalpine has doubled production

capacity at its Jeffersonville, Indiana, US, facility to 80,000 mtpa with the opening of a new plant manufacturing longitudinal

beams for heavy-duty trucks. The EUR70m ($80m) expansion strengthens Voestalpine's position in the North American

commercial vehicle sector, where it supplies key structural components for class 6, 7, and 8 trucks under long-term contracts

with major manufacturers. Source: Platts

• Global steel production stable through June: The total volume of raw steel produced by mills around the globe eased 2% in