Let’s lay it all out: The ups and downs and what’s affecting next year’s progress

At this year’s Recycled Materials Association Roundtable Conference, the conversation hasn’t been about prices or securing deals for next year. Everyone’s holding off, and no one seems sure of what’s going on. Of course, that’s nothing we don’t already know.

There are so many variables in play that it’s left the market in a state of uncertainty. Just last week at the conference in Kentucky, there were discussions about someone selling at 83% off the Midwest Transaction Premium (MTP) for UBC, which is frankly absurd. How do those margins even work? They’d be taking a loss unless they’ve already got a buyer lined up. And if they’re that desperate, it raises serious questions. Supply is already tight, especially in scrap, but is it even tighter than we thought?