黑色金属周报-20251208

1. Report Industry Investment Rating - Not provided in the report 2. Core Viewpoints of the Report - The steel market is in an oscillating range, waiting for a driver to break through the position. The iron ore futures price has dropped as expected, and the coking coal futures price has broken through the position and hit a new low. It is necessary to pay attention to the guidance of important meetings in December [3]. - The steel market is affected by multiple factors such as supply, demand, inventory, etc. Currently, the supply - demand structure is relatively balanced in the short term, but there are structural differentiations and regional contradictions. The coking coal and coke market is affected by downstream demand and supply - side factors, with prices under pressure [5][69]. - The iron ore market is expected to see continued inventory accumulation due to weakening demand and stable supply, and the price is difficult to break through the upward range [118]. 3. Summary by Relevant Catalogs 3.1 Steel - Supply: The molten iron output continued to decline, with a decrease of 2.38 to 232.3wt in the current week. The daily consumption of scrap steel decreased slightly month - on - month, and was lower than the level in 2023. After entering December, the production profit of steel mills improved slightly compared with November [5]. - Demand: From the perspective of industrial data, the supply - demand structure is statically balanced, and dynamically shows a trend of weakening supply and demand, with the decline in supply greater than that in demand. From the perspective of market perception, the demand is basically around the rigid - demand level, and speculative demand is light. The demand for medium - plate is stable, the cold - rolled demand has slightly improved, the apparent demand for building materials has shown a seasonal decline, and the inventory - to - sales ratios of hot - rolled and cold - rolled products are under great pressure [5]. - Inventory: The inventory of five major steel products is still steadily decreasing, which may be mainly due to the stable decline in steel production. The inventory - to - sales ratios of rebar and wire rod have changed from improvement to stability, while those of hot - rolled and cold - rolled products are under great pressure, and the medium - plate inventory is healthy [5]. - Basis/Spread: The basis of hot - rolled coils has slightly declined. As of Friday, the basis of rb2605 in the East China region (Hangzhou) is 93, and the basis of hc2605 in the East China region (Shanghai) is - 20 [5]. - Profit: The profit of steel mills has slightly rebounded, but the profitability level is still low. The profitability rate of steel mills is 36.36%, with a week - on - week change of + 1.3% [5]. - Valuation: The basis of hot - rolled coils is slightly better than that of rebar, which is more suitable for cash - and - carry arbitrage. From an industrial perspective, the production profit of steel mills is meager, and the industrial relative valuation is neutral [5]. - Macro and Risk Preference: This week is important and will be a key week for the macro - trading expectations of December. There will be a game on the new round of interest - rate cut expectations in the United States, and important domestic meetings such as the Central Economic Work Conference and a Politburo meeting at the end of the year [5]. - Investment Viewpoint: Adopt a wait - and - see attitude. In the short term, the market is in an oscillating range. It is necessary to wait for the implementation of the production - reduction logic and then observe the start of the winter - storage replenishment drive. It is advisable to focus on the cash - and - carry arbitrage opportunities of hot - rolled coils [5]. - Trading Strategy: Unilateral: Wait and see. Arbitrage: None for now. Cash - and - carry: Pay attention to the cash - and - carry arbitrage opportunities of hot - rolled coils [6]. 3.2 Coking Coal and Coke - Demand: The supply and demand of steel have both declined. This week, the apparent demand for five major steel products is 864.17 (- 23.83), and the output is 828.95 (- 26.76). The demand shows a seasonal performance, the supply is declining rapidly, and the inventory is being depleted quickly, but the absolute inventory value is high, and the industrial contradictions are not prominent. The profitability rate of steel mills has rebounded month - on - month, and the molten iron output has continued to decline. The daily average molten iron output of 247 steel mills this week is 232.30 (- 2.38), and the profitability rate of steel mills is 36.36% (+ 1.30%) [69]. - Supply of Coking Coal: The domestic coal - mine production maintains a low level, and large mines still have the intention to reduce production in the later period. The customs clearance of Mongolian coal remains high, and the inventory in the supervision area has continued to accumulate and is close to 3 million tons. The quotation of overseas coal has continued to rise. As of December 4, the CFR quotation of Australian Peak Downs coal is 221.45 US dollars (+ 5.6), and the CFR quotation of first - line prime coking coal is 205.5 US dollars (+ 0.5) [69]. - Supply of Coke: The supply of coke has rebounded. This week, the daily average coke output is 111.1 (+ 1.1), the coking profit is 30 (- 17). The price - reduction rhythm is slow, the price of raw coal has fallen in advance, the coking profit remains at a good level, and the supply of coke has continued to recover rapidly [69]. - Inventory: The middle and lower reaches have continued to slow down their procurement, and the upstream has continued to accumulate inventory. The total inventory has continued to increase, and the corresponding price has been under downward pressure [69]. - Basis/Spread: The first - round price cut of coke has been implemented, and the market still has expectations for subsequent price cuts. After the implementation, the warehouse - receipt cost is 1700, the port trade quotation has fallen in advance, and the converted warehouse - receipt cost is 1600. The futures price around 1550 reflects the expectation of four - round price cuts. The warehouse - receipt cost of Mongolian coal is around 1100, but several near - month contracts are affected by the difficulty of handling long - position deliveries, and are basically below 1000 near the delivery time [69]. - Profit: The profitability rate of steel mills is 36.36% (+ 1.30%), and the coking profit is 30 (- 17) [69]. - Summary: The Black Chain Index rose first and then fell this week. By Friday, the downward pressure on commodities increased, and many varieties began to accelerate their decline. The coking coal futures broke through the position at night and hit a new low. Fundamentally, the supply and demand of steel have both declined, the inventory is being depleted quickly, but the industrial contradictions are not prominent. Coking coal prices have continued to weaken due to the slowdown in downstream replenishment. Temporarily adopt a wait - and - see attitude, and it is not recommended to chase short positions even if the position is broken [69]. - Trading Strategy: Unilateral: Temporarily wait and see. Arbitrage: Temporarily wait and see [69]. 3.3 Iron Ore - Supply: The current shipment volume has rebounded by 21.1 tons per day to 4.67 million tons per day month - on - month. Among them, the shipment volume from Australia has rebounded by 38.4 tons per day, that from Brazil has declined by 34.1 tons per day, and that from non - mainstream mines has rebounded by 16.4 tons per day to 1.024 million tons per day. The arrival volume in China has rebounded by 31.4 tons per day, with the arrival volume from Australia increasing by 21.2 tons per day, that from Brazil increasing by 6.6 tons per day, and that from non - mainstream sources increasing by 3.6 tons per day [118]. - Demand: The molten iron output of steel mills has slightly declined to 2.323 million tons (- 2.38). The main reason for the weakening demand is the maintenance of steel mills. The profit ratio of steel mills has slightly rebounded, but has declined by 1.3% month - on - month to 36.36%. The port inventory has increased by 898,900 tons and exceeded the level of the same period last year. The output of five major steel products has significantly declined, mainly due to rebar. Rebar still maintains a rhythm of low output, low apparent demand, and slight inventory depletion. The output of hot - rolled coils has slightly declined, and the inventory is stable, but the slope has weakened, and the overall inventory far exceeds the seasonal level [118]. - Inventory: The inventory of 47 ports has increased by 898,900 tons month - on - month. Under the situation of stable supply and weakening demand, the inventory will continue to accumulate slightly [118]. - Profit: The profit of steel mills has continued to decline, which has begun to gradually affect the molten iron output [118]. - Valuation: The short - term valuation is neutral. After oscillating at the upper edge of the range, the iron ore price has declined. Fundamentally, the short - term arrival volume of iron ore has rebounded, and the subsequent shipment volume will remain stable, with no major unexpected fluctuations. In the medium term, the inventory will continue to accumulate under the pressure of molten iron production [118]. - Summary: It is expected that the subsequent fluctuations will mainly come from the production reduction of steel mills due to the decline in the profitability rate of steel mills. Under the influence of supply and demand, the port inventory of iron ore will continue to rise. Under the inventory pressure, it is difficult for the iron ore price to break through the upward range, and the previous short positions can be held [118]. - Trading Strategy: Unilateral: Hold short positions. Arbitrage: Temporarily wait and see [118].