Current space industry is dominated by intensively manufactured goods (satellites) that provide enormous value to ground based users. Having literal tons of steel available isn't going to help with the intensively manufactured part.

I can see space hotels or whatever, but that is not a huge market, even with Musky launch prices.

The other day I found an interesting analysis on that, which should answer all your questions: https://medium.com/@centrena/the-cislunar-economy-series-fed....

It enthuses that colonization should be the end goal because it will drive funding. I remain unconvinced that there are actually enough incredibly wealthy people that want to go die in space to drive a vast economy.

There's enough interest, demand and money in current space activities to justify a small cislunar economy; after that happens, well, hard to predict, but I think you're underestimating the amount of people with ideas about what to do in the Solar System.

Getting started, it could be a scheme of space development futures. Bet on the value of things in space, which puts money into the development of more things in space.

By 'in space' of course we mean everywhere in the Universe except tiny 'ol Earth.