Core Insights - The asphalt futures business spans the entire industry chain, including upstream production, midstream trading, and downstream applications, with significant roles played by refineries, traders, and large enterprises [1] - The asphalt market is currently facing weak supply and demand, leading to price fluctuations and financial pressures on refineries and traders [3] - A case study of Company C illustrates effective risk management through basis trading and spot distribution, enhancing trade profits while alleviating financial strain [2][4] Industry Overview - Upstream production primarily involves refineries dealing with crude oil and fuel oil, employing a "lock raw materials and sell forward" strategy [1] - Midstream trading sees traders and futures merchants engaging in arbitrage and hedging, while downstream procurement is dominated by large enterprises using buy hedging strategies [1] - The asphalt futures market is crucial for price risk hedging and speculative opportunities, with increasing sensitivity of the spot market to financial market dynamics [1] Market Dynamics - Asphalt prices are influenced by various factors, including crude oil price movements, supply-demand conditions, and seasonal demand variations [1] - The current market scenario shows a significant reliance on Shandong's local refineries, which account for approximately 60% of the national asphalt supply [2] Company C's Strategy - Company C, a trading entity, utilized a basis trading model in collaboration with a futures company's risk management subsidiary to mitigate financial and inventory pressures [2][4] - In January 2024, the risk management subsidiary locked in a price of 3,500 CNY/ton for 20,000 tons of asphalt, anticipating a rebound in prices despite weak demand [4] Results and Impact - From March to May 2024, the market behaved as expected, with stable spot prices and weakening futures, leading to a widening basis [5] - By the end of May, Company C successfully reduced capital occupation and transferred inventory risk while repurchasing asphalt at a lower market price [5] - This case exemplifies the diverse and effective services that futures can provide to the real economy, benefiting both buyers and sellers in the asphalt industry [5]

Group 1 - The article highlights the significant demand for cold-rolled steel strips (轧硬) in the Boxin region, known as the "hometown of metal sheets in China," where many galvanized and color-coated processing plants are located, primarily focusing on exports [1] - A company, referred to as Company A, operates as a trader of cold-rolled steel strips in Boxin, with a monthly sales volume of 200,000 to 250,000 tons, and maintains a high level of inventory to serve local processing enterprises [2] - Due to market conditions and pricing factors, local processing enterprises have reduced their agreements with steel mills, leading to increased reliance on traders like Company A for procurement [1][2] Group 2 - Company A engaged in a hedging operation using the HC2505 contract to manage its inventory risk, with an initial basis of -160 yuan/ton, as the market faced pressures from various external factors, including U.S. tariff policies [3] - Following the Spring Festival, the demand for cold-rolled steel strips increased, leading to a strong performance in spot prices, while futures prices remained weak due to external influences, resulting in a widening basis to 30 yuan/ton [3] - Company A decided to close its hedging position after analyzing the market, believing that the basis would likely narrow in the future, while also purchasing out-of-the-money put options to further mitigate potential price declines [3] Group 3 - The hedging strategy allowed Company A to avoid risks associated with inventory devaluation after the Spring Festival, resulting in additional profits of several million yuan due to the basis expansion [4] - By investing a small amount in out-of-the-money put options, Company A effectively managed the risk of further price declines without increasing its overall risk exposure [4]

Summary of Key Points from the Conference Call Industry Overview - The conference call focuses on the energy metals sector, particularly lithium, nickel, and cobalt companies, highlighting their financial performance and market dynamics in 2024 and early 2025 [1][2][3]. Core Insights and Arguments - **Financial Performance**: In 2024, Tianqi Lithium and Ganfeng Lithium reported losses of 7.9 billion yuan and 2.1 billion yuan respectively, primarily due to declining lithium prices. The industry's profitability is increasingly reliant on non-energy metal businesses or hedging strategies [1][2]. - **Market Recovery Signs**: By Q1 2025, there are indications of improvement in energy metal companies' performance, with Tianqi Lithium returning to profitability, suggesting a potential recovery despite ongoing challenges in the lithium market [3]. - **Lithium Market Dynamics**: The lithium market is facing downward pressure, with prices challenging the critical support level of 70,000 yuan. Recent prices for battery-grade lithium carbonate have dipped below this threshold, impacting the entire supply chain [4][9]. - **Cost Reduction Limitations**: The industry has exhausted many cost-cutting measures, with limited new strategies emerging. Projects like the lithium sulfate plant in Zimbabwe are being approached cautiously due to low price levels affecting investment decisions [5][8]. - **Nickel Market Outlook**: Nickel companies are expected to see improved performance in Q2 2024, benefiting from rising prices that have not yet fully reflected in stock valuations [6][7]. - **Cobalt Export Regulations**: The Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) cobalt export control policies are under evaluation, with potential extensions of export bans if pricing expectations are not met. This could significantly impact market dynamics and stock prices [12][13][15]. Additional Important Insights - **Supply Chain Challenges**: The DRC's export controls and the exit of major players like Zijin Mining complicate the nickel supply chain, leading to procurement difficulties and increased costs [11]. - **Cobalt Inventory Concerns**: Current cobalt inventories are low, and the market is experiencing operational disruptions due to export bans, which could lead to price surges if supply constraints persist [14][15]. - **Rare Earth Export Restrictions**: New export bans on heavy rare earths are causing significant disruptions in the magnetic materials industry, with potential long-term impacts on production and supply chains [17][19]. - **Investment Opportunities**: Companies like Huayou Cobalt, Hanrui Cobalt, and others are expected to benefit from improved performance in the cobalt and nickel sectors, especially if they can effectively hedge against price declines [16][21]. Conclusion - The energy metals sector is navigating a challenging landscape characterized by price volatility, regulatory changes, and supply chain disruptions. However, there are signs of recovery and potential investment opportunities as companies adapt to these challenges and explore new strategies for profitability.

Report Overview - Report Date: April 27, 2025 [1] - Report Title: Lithium Carbonate: Weak Demand Squeezes Upstream Profits, Trades in a Weak Range [2] - Analyst: Shao Wanyi, Investment Consulting Qualification Number: Z0015722 [3] Industry Investment Rating - Not provided in the report Core Viewpoints - The lithium carbonate market faces a situation of weak supply and demand. Weak demand squeezes upstream production profits, leading to a reduction in upstream output. In the short term, with weak demand, the price rebound space is limited, and the market will mainly trade in a weak range [4][6] - The price of the LC2507 contract is expected to trade in the range of 67,000 - 71,000 yuan/ton [7] - For trading strategies, it is recommended to conduct range - bound operations for single - side trading, focus on reverse spreads for inter - period trading, and suggest a 30% buy - hedge ratio and a 10% sell - hedge ratio [7][8] Summary by Directory 1. Market Data - **Price Trends**: The LC2507 contract broke through 70,000 yuan/ton and then oscillated around 68,000 yuan/ton. The 2507 contract closed at 68,180 yuan/ton, down 2,000 yuan/ton week - on - week; the 2505 contract closed at 68,380 yuan/ton, down 1,940 yuan/ton week - on - week; the spot price was 69,800 yuan/ton, down 1,650 yuan/ton week - on - week. The SMM basis (2505 contract) strengthened by 290 yuan/ton to 1,420 yuan/ton, and the spread between the 2505 - 2507 contracts was 200 yuan/ton, strengthening by 60 yuan/ton [3] - **Lithium Industry Chain Spot Prices**: Most products in the lithium industry chain showed price declines. For example, industrial - grade lithium carbonate (99.2% industrial zero - grade) was 68,050 yuan/ton, down 2.30%; battery - grade lithium carbonate was 69,800 yuan/ton, down 2.31% [12] 2. Supply Side of Lithium Salt Upstream - Lithium Ore - **Supply**: This week, lithium carbonate production continued to decline. Due to the cost - price inversion, many external - mining enterprises began to reduce or stop production since mid - April. As lithium prices fall, upstream companies' price - holding mentality is strong, which may lead to a decrease in long - term contract purchases and an increase in spot market purchases, further strengthening the basis [4] 3. Consumption Side of Lithium Salt Midstream - Lithium Salt Products - **Demand**: Affected by US tariffs on China, battery cell manufacturers postponed order notifications to cathode material manufacturers in May. Cathode material manufacturers are in a loss state, and there are concerns about a possible month - on - month decline in production volume. As of last week, the annual new energy vehicle sales were 2.92 million units, with a cumulative year - on - year growth of 33%, but the growth rate was lower than expected [4] - **Inventory**: The number of futures warehouse receipts was 32,000 tons, and the social inventory was basically the same as last week, about 132,000 tons [5] 4. Consumption Side of Lithium Salt Downstream - Lithium Batteries and Materials - **Production and Operation of Downstream Products**: The production and operation data of downstream products such as lithium iron phosphate, ternary materials, and lithium batteries are presented through various charts, including monthly production, monthly operating rates, import and export volumes, and installed capacity [28][29]

镍&不锈钢日报 管城瀚 2025-04-25 07:46:49 镍&不锈钢：多空交织下，预计恢复震荡走势 南华新能源&贵金属研究团队 夏莹莹 投资咨询证号：Z0016569 管城瀚 从业资格证号：F0313867 投资咨询业务资格:证监许可【2011】1290号 沪镍区间预测 | 价格区间预测 | 当前波动率（20日滚动） | 当前波动率历史百分位 | | --- | --- | --- | | 11.8-12.8 | 32.75% | 66.9% | source： 南华研究,wind 沪镍管理策略 | 行为导 | 情景分析 | 策略推荐 | 套保工具 | 买卖方 | 套保比例 | 策略等级（满分 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 向 | | | | 向 | | 5） | | 库存管 | 产品销售价格下跌，库存有减值风险 | 根据库存水平做空沪镍期货来锁定利润，对冲现货下跌风 险 | 沪镍主力合约 卖出 | | 60% | 2 | | 理 | | | 场外/场内期 | | | | | | | 卖出看涨期权 | 权 | 卖出 | 50% | 2 | ...

Report Summary - Report Title: Nickel & Stainless Steel: Correction Nearing End, May Resume Sideways Movement [1] - Research Team: Nanhua New Energy & Precious Metals Research Team [1] - Analysts: Xiayingying, Guanchenghan [1] Industry Investment Rating No industry investment rating information is provided in the report. Core Views - The intraday market continued a sideways and bullish trend. Fundamentally, the decline of ferronickel is nearing its end, but there is a lack of continuous upward momentum. Given the tariff situation, short - term trading is recommended. [3] Detailed Summaries Nickel Futures - The predicted price range of SHFE nickel is 118,000 - 128,000 yuan/ton, with the current volatility (20 - day rolling) at 32.75% and the historical percentile of the current volatility at 66.9%. [2] - Inventory management strategies include shorting SHFE nickel futures based on inventory levels to lock in profits and hedge against spot price declines, shorting call options, and buying far - month SHFE nickel contracts according to the production plan to lock in production costs. [2] - Procurement management strategies include shorting put options and buying out - of - the - money call options according to the procurement plan. [2] - The latest values and changes of SHFE nickel main - continuous, consecutive contracts, LME nickel 3M, trading volume, open interest, warrant quantity, and basis of the main contract are presented. [4][6] Stainless Steel Futures - The latest values and changes of stainless steel main - continuous, consecutive contracts, trading volume, open interest, warrant quantity, and basis of the main contract are presented. [7] Nickel Industry Inventory - The latest values and changes of domestic social inventory, LME nickel inventory, stainless steel social inventory, and nickel pig iron inventory are presented. [8] Other Data - There are also multiple charts showing trends of nickel and stainless steel futures prices, spot prices, production profit margins, and price premiums, etc. [10][12][14][16][19][21][22]

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the company [7] Core Views - The company achieved revenue of 114.6 billion RMB in 2024 and 25.63 billion RMB in Q1 2025, with year-over-year changes of -1.3% and +10.6% respectively. The net profit attributable to the parent company was 4.5 billion RMB and 1.28 billion RMB, reflecting year-over-year increases of +64.3% and +49.0% [1][4] - The primary drivers for the high profit growth in 2024 and Q1 2025 are the profitability from pig farming hedging and the rapid growth of overseas feed business. The report is optimistic about overseas expansion, industry recovery, and cost advantages supporting feed sales growth [1][2] Summary by Sections Financial Performance - In 2024 and Q1 2025, the company's feed sales volume increased by 8.0% and 25% year-over-year, reaching 24.4 million tons and 5.95 million tons respectively. The overseas feed sales maintained a growth rate of around 40% [2][3] - The company achieved over 1 billion RMB in profit from pig farming through futures hedging in 2024, turning a profit of approximately 230 RMB per head. The overseas feed business also saw significant profit growth, estimated at 300-400 million RMB year-over-year [2] Market Opportunities - The company is actively expanding into the Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America feed markets, with a solid foundation in countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, Ecuador, and Egypt. There is still potential for growth in per capita meat, egg, and milk consumption in certain countries [3] - The domestic business is expected to recover starting in 2025, supported by a rebound in fish and shrimp prices due to a decline in aquaculture seedling volume and a recovery in pig inventory [3] Profit Forecast and Valuation - The report maintains net profit forecasts of 5.02 billion RMB and 5.48 billion RMB for 2025 and 2026, respectively, and introduces a new forecast of 7.04 billion RMB for 2027. The target price is raised to 63.4 RMB, corresponding to a 21x PE valuation for 2025 [4][8]

以下文章来源于一个人的八卦 ，作者木精灵zjs 一个人的八卦 . 闲来无事聊八卦，忙时有事稍后看。你若亦有八卦事，欢迎随时来分享。 文 | 木精灵zjs 来源 | 一个人的八卦 编辑 | 杨兰 审核 | 浦电路交易员 倒爷一词，出现于上世纪80年代，流行于上世 纪80年代中后期至90年代初期。 在从计划经济转向市场经济的过程中，尤其是在价格双轨制时代，一些人利用计划内商品和计划外商品的价格差，在市 场上倒卖有关商品进行盈利，被人们戏称为倒爷。 倒爷的本质就是倒卖价格差，利用信息差和渠道差，最终实现价格差。这其实也是所有贸易的本质。我觉得倒爷两字， 能很形象地形容贸易商，所以今天就拿来借用一下，来形容一下我们铁矿贸易商。 从我2009年加入铁矿行业至今，已经15个年头。这期间，伴随着铁矿市场的巨大波动，以及铁矿市场交易模式的慢慢 走向成熟，铁矿市场格局的改变，倒爷们也经历了从风光无限到彷徨迷茫到步入困境的发展历程。 01 风光时刻 在矿圈，根据实力的强弱，倒爷总体可以分为两类。 第一类有很强的经济实力，能自己从国外进口铁矿或者请代理商进口铁矿，或者能从进口方先把铁矿自己买下来囤在手 里，等价格合适时机再出货。这 ...

Report Industry Investment Rating - Not provided Core View of the Report - The view is to wait for a long - entry opportunity for MEG, but the downside space may also be large. The recommended contract is eg2505. The logic is that although MEG inventory slightly accumulated in Q1 2025, the medium - to - long - term supply - demand driver is still upward under the current low port inventory. However, the cost of crude oil and coal prices has moved downward weakly. It is recommended to go long at low prices after the cost side stabilizes [4]. Summary by Relevant Catalogs 1. Upstream Prices - On April 2, 2025, compared with the previous day, the price of naphtha CFR Japan decreased by 1 to 645.00, the price of动力煤 (内蒙Q5500) remained unchanged at 495.00, the price of ethylene Northeast Asia remained unchanged at 855.00, and the price of methanol in Taicang decreased by 8 to 2571.00 [7]. 2. EG Each Process Profit - On April 1, 2025, compared with March 31, 2025, MEG's import profit increased by 13.31 to - 51.65 yuan/ton, oil - made profit increased by 72.27 to - 1168.02 yuan/ton, coal - made profit increased, ethylene - made profit increased by 65.41 to - 741.10 yuan/ton, methanol - made profit increased by 80.48 to - 1597.51 yuan/ton, and the weighted profit increased by 70.05 to - 803.66 yuan/ton [7]. 3. EG Basis, Spread and Position - On April 1, 2025, compared with March 31, 2025, EG5 - month basis decreased by 2 to 41.00 [7]. 4. PF Basis and Profit - On April 1, 2025, compared with March 31, 2025, the spot profit of direct - spun polyester staple fiber decreased by 31.57 to 139.37, the closing price of PF2505 increased by 72 to 6662, the short - fiber main - contract disk profit decreased by 59.48 to 60.34, and the polyester staple fiber basis decreased by 72 to 88 [7]. 5. Industrial Chain Operation Suggestions - For refineries with high MEG inventory worried about price drops, they can long eg2505 at 4500 with a 50% hedging ratio to hedge against risks [5]. - For traders, when establishing inventory and seeking to buy MEG at low prices, they can buy call options eg2505 - C - 4900 at 115 with a 50% ratio to prevent price increases; when having inventory and seeking to sell at high prices, they can short eg2505 at 4600 with a 50% ratio for short - term risk prevention [5]. - For terminal customers in need of polyester raw materials worried about price increases, they can buy call options eg2505 - C - 4900 at 115 with a 50% ratio [5].