On Monday, US President Donald Trump signed the executive decree to impose additional customs duties of 25% on steel and aluminum imports in the US, intensifying the trade war that has begun from the first moment of his term.

This move fears that it can also have a negative impact on Greek steel and aluminum companies, such as Viohalco and Metlen Energy & Metals. But how important can they be?

The immediate impact on Greek businesses will be very small, notes Mr. Manos HatzidakisOfficer of the Department of Analysis Beta Securitiesnoting that the exposure of the Greek steel and aluminum branches on the US market is small.

As he explains, Viohalco, which exports direct products to the US, such as pipes and copper, exports of around 150 million euros, which corresponds to a fraction of its total turnover, so any direct impact of the forthcoming duties on the duties on Economic sizes of the listed will not be so important.

As far as Metlen is concerned, it does not export directly to the US, so it is not directly in danger from the duties announced by Donald Trump.

This does not mean, however, that Greek companies will remain completely unaffected by the US president’s tariff policy.

As Mr. Hatzidakis explains, the horizontal imposition of duties on steel and aluminum imports from Washington will probably intensify competition at prices widely in the industry. Which means that Greek companies will be indirectly affected, which as a result will see their profit margins to be pressured.

At the same wavelength, K. Giannis Yaprakisowner of Vitalfinance and investment consultant. As he notes, Viohalco exports to the US mainly through Elvalhalcor which is also the one that will have an impact on the total sizes of Viohalco. But again, the possible impact will be small, around 5% on the total turnover of the Viohalco Group, due to Elvalhalcor’s low presence in the US market.

At the same time, however, Mr Yaprakis notes that Cenergy, Viohalco’s other subsidiary, is positively influenced by developments in the US, as the country’s entire wire network must be changed, which creates significant opportunities for the company, which will It must also be taken into account.

As for the possible indirect implications, Mr Yaprakis notes that they cannot be ruled out. As he explains, Trump duties in steel and aluminum will reduce the competitiveness of European products in the US market and possibly their demand, which can turn European businesses into other markets where Greek is present, pushing the margins. Profit in general.

The owner of Vitalfinace, however, notes that before we begin the cases of the impact on Greek businesses, it is advisable to wait to see if Donald Trump would be exemptions on tariffs, as happened during his first term, although Trump excluded one Such a possibility.

This is because, as he notes, the imposition of duties on steel and aluminum will exert inflationary pressures in the US, something that the US government will take very seriously before implementing Trump’s announcements, as he would not want to see a new rise in Inflation in the country.