Core Viewpoint - The recent price increase of coke in China is supported by tight fundamentals, but the demand for steel is weakening due to seasonal factors, which may slow down the pace of future price increases [1][5][7] Group 1: Coke Price Trends - Since mid-July, domestic coke prices have experienced seven consecutive rounds of increases, with the fundamentals supporting this trend [1] - As of August 21, the average operating load of major independent coke plants in China was 74.65%, slightly down by 0.13 percentage points from the previous week but up by 0.61 percentage points from the previous month [1] - Coke inventory at major coke plants dropped to 27.6 million tons, a decrease of 2.8 million tons or 9.21% from the previous month, marking the second-lowest level of the year [1] Group 2: Steel Demand and Inventory - The demand for steel has weakened significantly since mid-July due to high temperatures and rainy weather, leading to an increase in social inventory of steel products [5] - As of August 21, the social inventory of rebar reached 5.945 million tons, marking the seventh consecutive week of accumulation [5] - The average inventory of rebar in August was 5.63 days, down 0.57 days from the previous month, indicating the lowest level for the year [3] Group 3: Supply and Demand Dynamics - Despite the recovery of coke profits and increased production in Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, production cuts in Shandong, Hebei, and Henan have kept overall coke supply from increasing significantly [1][3] - The passive decline in steel mills' coke inventory is attributed to increased consumption driven by stable high furnace iron production [3] - The ongoing weak demand for steel and declining profits for steel mills are expected to reduce their acceptance of raw material price increases, leading to a slowdown in the pace of coke price hikes [5][7]
终端钢材累库影响下,后期焦炭涨价节奏或趋缓
Xin Hua Cai Jing·2025-08-27 07:13