Report Industry Investment Rating - Not provided in the content Core Viewpoints - In May, the core of black commodity trading was the confirmation of loose coking coal supply and the decline of warehouse receipts. The accelerated decline of thermal coal spot prices and the seasonal peak - to - trough decline of hot metal led to a pessimistic outlook on thermal coal and a weakening expectation of steel demand, accelerating the decline of coking coal prices and dragging down the overall black price center. In June, due to marginal improvement in macro - expectations, political turmoil in Mongolia, and domestic safety production month activities, the market focused on supply reduction, etc., leading to a rebound of coking coal to repair the basis [5]. - Overall, short - term steel demand is expected to remain stable, hot metal shows resilience, the contradictions of coking coal and coke are generally weakening, but the price ceiling pressure is still obvious. It is recommended to be cautious in the short - term and maintain the strategy of short - selling in the medium - to - long - term [74]. Summary by Relevant Catalogs 1. Market Review - In May, the trading logic was similar to April, centered on the confirmation of loose coking coal and the decline of warehouse receipts. The accelerated decline of thermal coal prices and the peak - to - trough decline of hot metal led to more capital inflows and price drops. In June, the logic changed due to macro - factors, and coking coal rebounded to repair the basis [5]. 2. Current High - Frequency Data of Coking Coal and Coke 2.1 Coking Coal Supply Turned Negative in May, Showing the Feature of "Production Based on Sales" - Since May, with the accelerated decline of coal prices and continuous discount in the futures market, high inventory at the pithead forced production cuts, high port inventory restricted customs clearance, and imports decreased without hedging. The weekly growth rates of Mongolian coal customs clearance, sea - borne coal arrival, and domestic mine production all declined, showing the feature of "production based on sales". But supply may recover when prices stabilize [19]. 2.2 Coking Coal Inventory Concentrated in the Upstream, with Low Inventory in the Downstream - Inventory accumulation was mainly in upstream mines and import ends, while inventory in downstream coking links was low. This situation led to production cuts and import reduction, and raised concerns about downstream restocking. However, these phenomena are the result of overall demand decline, and short - term supply reduction has limited price - supporting effect [27]. 2.3 After Basis Repair, Coking Coal Needs to Face Terminal Demand - With the decline of spot prices in May and the rebound of futures prices in June, the coking coal basis shrank rapidly. Now, it is necessary to answer whether demand can support the market after the marginal recovery of supply, but the current supply - demand pattern cannot provide an accurate answer [37]. 2.4 The Emergence of the Israel - Iran Conflict Brought New Entrants to Coking Coal - After the sudden intensification of the Israel - Iran conflict, crude oil prices soared, and new funds entered the coking coal market based on the logic that rising crude oil prices would drive up thermal coal and then coking coal. However, historical data shows that the short - term correlation between crude oil and domestic and foreign thermal coal is not high [43]. 2.5 Coke Production and Profit Remained Stable - During the price decline, coke profit loss was small, and since May, it has been continuously repairing. Considering the low - cost coking coal in June, coke profit and production are expected to be sustainable. If downstream demand cannot keep up, coke may be the first to deteriorate [51]. 2.6 Coke Faced Greater Short - Term Inventory Pressure - Due to the continuous improvement of coking profit and the weakening of downstream hot metal demand, coke inventory pressure did not ease in May. Inventory accumulation was mainly in coking plants, and downstream steel mills had strong bargaining power. Even if there is an unexpected reduction in coking coal supply, the coke segment will still be weak [55]. 2.7 The Decline of Hot Metal Slowed Down, and There Were Still Few Maintenance Plans - Since May, hot metal production peaked as expected, but the decline slowed down at the end of May, which was related to the accelerated reduction of scrap steel. In the future, hot metal is expected to remain at a high level, so the decline of direct demand for coking coal and coke may not be smooth [62]. 2.8 Coke Turned to Discount, but Profit Improved - The coke futures market turned into a premium for wet - quenched coke. In the current situation, it may not have a positive impact and may even keep production and profit at a high level for a longer time, which is worthy of attention [66]. 3. Strategy Recommendation - Coking coal supply - demand: The accelerated price decline in May led to continuous marginal reduction in supply. The supply - demand contradiction improved, and this situation continued in June, but the improvement will disappear as prices rise [74]. - Coke supply - demand: The cost of coke collapsed faster, and it will be in a low - cost pattern in June. Supply elasticity is high, while demand may face an increase in hot metal. Overall, the supply - demand of coke in June is expected to remain loose [74]. - Steel demand: Real - estate high - frequency data is weak, infrastructure funds have limited improvement and are in the off - season, and the manufacturing industry shows resilience but also has long - term risks. Short - term steel demand is expected to be stable, and it is recommended to be cautious in the short - term and maintain short - selling in the medium - to - long - term [74].