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Trump greenlights Nippon merger with US Steel
CNBC ^ | 05/23/2025 | Spencer Kimball

Posted on 05/23/2025 12:56:15 PM PDT by DFG

President Donald Trump said Friday that U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel will form a “partnership,” after the Japanese steelmaker’s bid to acquire its U.S. rival had been blocked on national security grounds.

U.S. Steel shares jumped more than 24%.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; Japan
KEYWORDS: bigmistake; japan; steel; strategicbusiness; ussteel
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1 posted on 05/23/2025 12:56:15 PM PDT by DFG
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To: DFG

It is the only logical solution. Nippon Steel is willing to invest and ramp up production. Their main American suitor (Cleveland Cliffs) is still closing plants. A good sign that they want them only for their customer list.


2 posted on 05/23/2025 1:00:15 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (The politicized state destroys aspects of civil society, human kindness and private charity.)
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To: DFG

Good. Nippon Steel will invest in and upgrade U.S. Steel. I’d like to see three way mergers between some major U.S. auto, steel, shipbuilding, port operations and chip companies between U.S., Japan and South Korea. More integrated major manufacturing between the three will bring capital into the U.S. and strengthen our military alliance with them.


3 posted on 05/23/2025 1:02:17 PM PDT by Wuli
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To: Vigilanteman

Wouldn’t be necessary if Dems, for decades, and the EPA would have let U.S. Steel upgrade their plants.

Their model was all or nothing. No minor upgrades.


4 posted on 05/23/2025 1:05:07 PM PDT by Fledermaus ("It turns out all we really needed was a new President!")
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To: DFG

No coincidence that President Trump is holding a rally at US Steel in Pittsburgh next week, May 30.


5 posted on 05/23/2025 1:07:52 PM PDT by chrisinoc
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To: Wuli

Hopefully this a one off. We don’t need more globalist mergers.


6 posted on 05/23/2025 1:35:50 PM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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To: Vigilanteman

NS is a good company. What matters is who can keep workers employed, not the jurisdiction in which the parent is organized.


7 posted on 05/23/2025 1:41:25 PM PDT by maro (MAGA!)
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To: central_va

Nippon is the 4th largest steel producer in the world. At some point, legacy U.S. producers are going to face the prospect of either selling out to foreign buyers or going out of business like Bethlehem Steel did in 2003.


8 posted on 05/23/2025 1:46:51 PM PDT by Alberta's Child ("The gallows wait for martyrs whose papers are in order.")
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To: Alberta's Child

Not if we tariff steel imports.


9 posted on 05/23/2025 1:47:48 PM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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To: central_va
Uh -- whut??

Imposing tariffs on steel imports will accelerate the moves by foreign producers to acquire U.S. companies to produce steel here.

10 posted on 05/23/2025 1:53:28 PM PDT by Alberta's Child ("The gallows wait for martyrs whose papers are in order.")
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To: DFG

I bought some US Steel 2 months ago. Nice bump today.


11 posted on 05/23/2025 1:54:17 PM PDT by packrat35 (Pureblood! No clot shot for me!)
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To: packrat35

I remember my Navy vet uncle telling me how we sold the Japs the 3rd Ave so and on December 7, 1941 they gave it back to us.


12 posted on 05/23/2025 2:47:13 PM PDT by shadeaud (God gave us the free will and intelligence to choose right from wrong. Use it or lose it!D)
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To: DFG

Looks like we are importing foreign capital. Selling off a critical defense industry manufacturing plant. Why are we giving up on American made and owned? Why have tariffs if the end result is foreign ownership of jobs and resources?

Japan competes unfairly. They have cheap interest rates and subsidies for their domestic steel companies which allowed them to be subsidized and compete unfairly against American owned Cliffs for this steel plant. I guess it’s ok for this type of trade, right because well Trump. How much of America are we going to sell off?


13 posted on 05/23/2025 2:48:51 PM PDT by FreedomNotSafety
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To: Wuli

Michael Yon (former special forces man who has a big presence on Twitter) said Japan was the United States’ most important ally.


14 posted on 05/23/2025 2:56:07 PM PDT by packagingguy
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To: DFG

Let’s see if Nippon Steel can hand us Labor Unions. My vote is that they get sick of dealing with them and the plant shuts down in 3 years.

(yet another case of the Union defeating The Man)


15 posted on 05/23/2025 3:17:15 PM PDT by BobL
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To: FreedomNotSafety

“Why are we giving up on American made and owned?”

We are not giving up American made, they aren’t moving or closing the plant, that’s why the deal was made. Better this than closing the plant.


16 posted on 05/23/2025 3:20:27 PM PDT by Wayne07
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To: DFG

“Partnership” is a fig leaf to avoid offending American protectionist sensibilities. Kind of like when Daimler-Benz “partnered” Chrysler. They can name the merged entity Red White & Blue Steel, but it’ll still be Nippon.

It was the right call. Despite pushback from both the Biden and Trump administrations, there never was a national security issue to block the buy. Nippon has deep pockets and a willingness to spend updating and renovating US Steel.

At any rate, it was the cherry on the cake of one of my best weeks in the market over more than 40 years.

The week started out with the takeover of TXNM, a utility in the Southwest by Blackstone, and I had two tech plays explode upward this week too: Ioniq, a quantum computing play, and OKLA, a small modular nuclear play.


17 posted on 05/23/2025 4:06:00 PM PDT by Miami Rebel
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To: DFG

Alliances and partnerships are good.


18 posted on 05/23/2025 4:09:52 PM PDT by plain talk
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To: FreedomNotSafety

Should a steelworker care who pays him? Nippon will be investing in US plants and US jobs.

If they are making the stuff here and hiring US workers, why should we care which investors turn a profit? If you think that Nippon will benefit from the acquisition, you can buy its hares through the American Depositary Receipt, NPSCY.


19 posted on 05/23/2025 4:11:33 PM PDT by Miami Rebel
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To: BobL

You think that Nippon is naive about US business practices?

Bear in mind that Cliffs, US Steel, and Nucor all have union payrolls and all turn a profit.


20 posted on 05/23/2025 4:13:53 PM PDT by Miami Rebel
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