President Trump announced he was going to formally sign a tariff on foreign steel and aluminum. This is the first of many promised moves by the president that are indicative of his rift with former Republican “free-trade” ideologies.
Winners: US Steel Corp (X) and Century Aluminum Company (CENX)
These companies stand to benefit from the imposed tariffs. The CEO’s have made announcements to hire about 500 workers for each company which doesn’t take a forensic account to know that they are ramping up production.
It should also be highlighted that this move isn’t necessarily an attack on our allies with whom we trade steel and aluminum with, but a podium for the American steelworker to give them a fighting chance as trade is driving down prices in the global market.
The countries that are exempt from this tariff are Mexico and Canada because of NAFTA.
The real volatility is whether or not the Chinese, Russians, and Indian exporters will be affected. There is lots of uncertainty with this deal, and investors certainly do not like uncertainty.
I expect the next few days to be red and then a strong bounce back once the legal agenda has been finalized. Over the next 12 months, I expect 12% returns.
