So, you’re looking for the U.S. Steel stock ticker symbol. If you just type "X" into your brokerage app expecting to see the same old ticker that’s been around since 1901, you’re going to be a little confused.
Things changed fast in late 2025. Honestly, the story behind why the iconic "X" ticker disappeared from the New York Stock Exchange is way more interesting than just a few letters on a screen. It involves a massive $14.9 billion takeover, a "Golden Share" held by the U.S. government, and a whole lot of political drama.
The Ticker That Defined Wall Street
For over a century, United States Steel Corporation was synonymous with its single-letter ticker: X. It was one of the original "Blue Chips." Back when Andrew Carnegie and J.P. Morgan put this thing together in 1901, it became the first billion-dollar company in world history.
But as of June 2025, that era ended.
Following the finalized acquisition by Japan-based Nippon Steel, U.S. Steel was delisted from the NYSE. If you are looking for the current us steel stock ticker symbol for the entity as it exists now under its new ownership, it is no longer trading as a primary independent stock in the U.S. Instead, you might see XUSS appearing on secondary exchanges or the Vienna Stock Exchange (VIE), though for most retail investors, the original "X" is officially a ghost of the past.
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What happened to the "X" stock?
When Nippon Steel finally closed the deal on June 18, 2025, shareholders were paid out. Basically, if you held shares of X, they were converted to cash—specifically $55.00 per share. That’s why the ticker vanished.
It wasn't a smooth ride. President Biden initially tried to block the deal in early 2025, citing national security. Then, in a wild pivot after a new review, the transaction was allowed to proceed under strict conditions.
The "Golden Share" and the New Reality
You can't talk about the us steel stock ticker symbol today without mentioning the weird "Golden Share" arrangement. This is super rare in American business.
Even though Nippon Steel owns the company, the U.S. Government holds a special share that gives them veto power over certain things. They can stop the company from closing specific mills or moving its headquarters out of Pittsburgh.
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- Headquarters: Remains in Pittsburgh, PA.
- Board of Directors: Must have a majority of U.S. citizens.
- The Symbol: The ticker "X" was retired from the NYSE and replaced in the S&P MidCap 400 by APi Group Corp (APG).
Should You Still Care About the Ticker?
If you're an investor looking for exposure to the steel industry now that X is gone, you have to look elsewhere. You've basically got two options. You can look at Nippon Steel itself (trading in Tokyo as 5401), or you can pivot to domestic rivals like Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) or Nucor (NUE).
Nucor is actually the largest steel producer in the U.S. now by market cap. Cleveland-Cliffs is the one that tried to buy U.S. Steel first but got outbid by the Japanese.
Steel is a weird, cyclical business. Right now, in 2026, the market is obsessed with data centers. It turns out that building giant warehouses for AI servers requires an insane amount of structural steel. While U.S. Steel (under its new owners) is still a player, the "X" ticker is no longer the barometer for the American economy like it used to be.
Misconceptions about XUSS
Some people see the XUSS ticker on international exchanges and think they can just trade it like the old NYSE stock. Don't do that without checking the liquidity.
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The volume on these secondary tickers is tiny compared to what "X" used to do. Most of the value is now consolidated into Nippon’s global balance sheet. If you're looking for a "pure play" American steel stock, that ship has kinda sailed.
Actionable Steps for Investors
If you are still trying to track the performance of what used to be U.S. Steel, here is how you should actually handle it:
- Check your old brokerage statements: If you didn't sell your shares before June 2025, they should have been automatically liquidated at the $55.00 price point. Ensure the cash settled correctly.
- Monitor Nippon Steel (NISTY/5401): If you want to see how the U.S. assets are performing, you have to read Nippon’s quarterly reports now. They have promised $11 billion in new investments into U.S. facilities through 2028.
- Watch the "Data Center" Steel Demand: If you're looking for the next big move in steel, keep an eye on companies supplying the energy and tech infrastructure boom.
- Look at Steel ETFs: Instead of chasing a single us steel stock ticker symbol, consider the VanEck Steel ETF (SLX). It holds a basket of these companies so you aren't stuck betting on a single corporate merger or ticker change.
The death of the "X" ticker was the end of a century-long chapter. It’s a bit sad for market historians, but for everyone else, it’s just a reminder that even the biggest icons can eventually be bought out.