Brazil Steel Industry Is Facing Its ‘Limit’, Gerdau Chair Warns

The combination of trade tensions and a flood of imports means that Brazil’s steel sector is in the midst of a crisis just as industry leaders gather for one of the biggest conferences of the year in Sao Paulo.

“This may be the most turbulent year” conference attendees have ever seen, said André Gerdau Johannpeter, chairman of the board for Brazilian steelmaker Gerdau SA. “We have geopolitical conflicts, trade war and a lot of uncertainty in the air.”

Tensions between the US and Brazil have ramped up as President Donald Trump levied 50% tariffs on some goods from ...