Sliding coking coal prices put pressure on steel, iron ore

admin admin | 05-16 00:20

Lower raw materials prices dragged down most steel benchmarks on the Shanghai Futures Exchange.
Prices of coking coal futures tumbled by more than 3% on Tuesday to their lowest in more than one month, dragged by the anticipation of growing supply from the top production hub in China.

The most-traded September coking coal contract on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) recouped some earlier losses and slipped 3.23% to 1,676 yuan a metric ton, as of 0244 GMT, after touching its intraday low at 1,657 yuan a ton, the lowest since April 12.

The coke contract fell 1.56%.

"The expectation of rising supply from the Shanxi province pushed coking coal prices down," said Cheng Peng, a Beijing-based analyst at Sinosteel Futures.

North China's Shanxi province, one of China's top coal producers, aims to churn out around 1.3 billion tons of coal in 2024, down 4% from 2023, with the output in the first quarter declining by 19% on the year to 271 million tons.

"Whether the market talk is true or not, we believe the output in the province will pick up in the coming quarters to achieve its annual target, as the first quarter is too low," said a Shanghai-based coal analyst, requesting anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to media.

A lack of cost support due to falling coal prices sent prices of finished steel lower, which in turn pressured iron ore prices, Sinosteel Cheng added.

The most-traded September iron ore contract on the DCE traded 0.29% lower at 869.5 yuan a ton.

The benchmark June iron ore on the Singapore Exchange was 1.41% lower at $115.25 a ton.

Prices in both benchmarks posted gains on Monday supported by the stimulus of bond issuance and a temporary supply disruption after a train derailed in West Australia.

Lower raw materials prices dragged down most steel benchmarks on the Shanghai Futures Exchange.

Rebar lost 0.3%, hot-rolled coil fell 0.39%, and stainless steel shed 0.53%.

Wire rod added 0.49%


Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.


ALSO READ

Hyundai Motor India lists with record IPO, commits to Indian market with new tech and EV plans

As part of its effort to introduce clean mobility solutions for Indian buyers, Hyundai will launch f...

auto | 6 hours ago

Skoda Auto Volkswagen India plants over 7 lakh trees in Maharashtra for ecological restoration

Additionally, SAVWIPL has installed 18.5 MWp of rooftop solar power at its Chakan facility, which of...

auto | 6 hours ago

Mega Corporation launches Lendingo to enhance EV financing solutions

Mega Corporation on Monday announced the launch of a new division, Lendingo. Mega Corporation on Mon...

auto | 6 hours ago

GreenLine accelerates decarbonisation efforts with 1,000 LNG trucks by March 2025

The government in a recent draft policy proposed to convert a third of long-haul trucks into LNG pow...

auto | 6 hours ago

Remsons Industries acquires 51% stake in BEE Lighting to enhance automotive lighting solutions

Established in 2006, BEE Lighting specialises in automotive headlamps, rear lamps, and various exter...

auto | 6 hours ago

EV Recharge partners with ZEVO for mobile EV charging solutions

EV Recharge’s technology can charge vehicles from 0% to 80% in just 20 minutes, a significant improv...

auto | 6 hours ago