Group 1: Report Industry Investment Rating - Not provided in the content Group 2: Core Viewpoints of the Report - In the macro - aspect, from January to May, national real estate development investment was 362.34 billion yuan, a year - on - year decrease of 10.7%; residential investment was 277.31 billion yuan, down 10.0%. Various real estate construction - related data also showed significant declines [1][4][6] - In the fundamental aspect, last week, the output of rebar was 2120000 tons, a month - on - month increase of 50000 tons, with a surface demand of 2200000 tons, an increase of 10000 tons. The output of hot - rolled coils was 3250000 tons, an increase of 10000 tons. Overall, last week's industrial data was stable, with both output and surface demand increasing and inventory decreasing. The weak pattern of building materials demand remained unchanged, affected by real estate investment and seasonal weakening of demand, while the apparent demand for hot - rolled coils increased by 110000 tons, indicating strong resilience in the downstream manufacturing industry. With multiple factors at play, steel prices are expected to fluctuate [1][5] - Last week, steel futures showed a fluctuating trend. Terminal data was poor, with weak supply and demand, and a slight increase in cost support. In the spot market, the price of Tangshan billet was 2920 (+20) yuan/ton, Shanghai rebar was quoted at 3090 (0) yuan/ton, and Shanghai hot - rolled coils were at 3200 (+20) yuan/ton. Considering the in - depth off - season demand, steel prices are expected to fluctuate under pressure [4][5] Group 3: Summary by Relevant Catalogs Transaction Data | Contract | Closing Price | Change | Change Rate (%) | Total Trading Volume (Lots) | Total Open Interest (Lots) | Price Unit | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | SHFE Rebar | 2992 | 23 | 0.77 | 7142023 | 3003707 | Yuan/ton | | SHFE Hot - rolled Coil | 3116 | 34 | 1.10 | 2406634 | 1488632 | Yuan/ton | | DCE Iron Ore | 703.0 | 0.0 | 0.00 | 2099456 | 678221 | Yuan/ton | | DCE Coking Coal | 795.0 | 20.5 | 2.65 | 4896063 | 685871 | Yuan/ton | | DCE Coke | 1384.5 | 35.0 | 2.59 | 142071 | 54570 | Yuan/ton | [2] Market Review - Last week, steel futures fluctuated. Terminal data was poor, with weak supply and demand, and a slight increase in cost support, so steel prices mainly fluctuated. In the spot market, the price of Tangshan billet was 2920 (+20) yuan/ton, Shanghai rebar was quoted at 3090 (0) yuan/ton, and Shanghai hot - rolled coils were at 3200 (+20) yuan/ton [4] - In the macro - aspect, from January to May, national real estate development investment was 362.34 billion yuan, a year - on - year decrease of 10.7%; residential investment was 277.31 billion yuan, down 10.0%. Various real estate construction - related data also showed significant declines [4] - In the industrial aspect, last week, the output of rebar was 2120000 tons, a month - on - month increase of 50000 tons, with a surface demand of 2200000 tons, an increase of 10000 tons. The output of hot - rolled coils was 3250000 tons, an increase of 10000 tons. Overall, last week's industrial data was stable, with both output and surface demand increasing and inventory decreasing. The weak pattern of building materials demand remained unchanged, affected by real estate investment and seasonal weakening of demand, while the apparent demand for hot - rolled coils increased by 110000 tons, indicating strong resilience in the downstream manufacturing industry. Considering the in - depth off - season demand, steel prices are expected to fluctuate under pressure [5] Industry News - From January to May, national real estate development investment was 362.34 billion yuan, a year - on - year decrease of 10.7%; residential investment was 277.31 billion yuan, down 10.0%. Various real estate construction - related data also showed significant declines [6][7] - In May 2025, China's crude steel output was 86.55 million tons, a year - on - year decrease of 6.9%; pig iron output was 74.11 million tons, a year - on - year decrease of 3.3%; steel output was 127.43 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 3.4%. From January to May, China's crude steel output was 431.63 million tons, a year - on - year decrease of 1.7%; pig iron output was 362.74 million tons, a year - on - year decrease of 0.1%; steel output was 605.82 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 5.2% [10] - The Federal Reserve kept the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4.25% - 4.50%, the fourth decision to keep the interest rate unchanged since January. The Fed's dot - plot shows that it is expected to cut interest rates twice in 2025 and by 25 basis points each in 2026 and 2027 [10] - In May 2025, the automobile output was 2.642 million, a year - on - year increase of 11.3%; from January to May, the automobile output was 12.757 million, a year - on - year increase of 11.1% [10] Relevant Charts - The report provides multiple charts including the trend of rebar futures and monthly spreads, the trend of hot - rolled coil futures and monthly spreads, rebar basis trend, hot - rolled coil basis trend, rebar spot regional price difference trend, hot - rolled coil spot regional price difference trend, long - process steel mill smelting profit, short - process electric furnace profit in East China, national 247 blast furnace operating rate, 247 steel mills' daily average hot - metal output, rebar output, hot - rolled coil output, rebar social inventory, hot - rolled coil social inventory, rebar factory inventory, hot - rolled coil factory inventory, rebar total inventory, hot - rolled coil total inventory, rebar apparent consumption, and hot - rolled coil apparent consumption [9][11][16]

1. Report Industry Investment Rating - No information provided 2. Core View of the Report - The short - term, medium - term, and intraday views of rebar 2510 are shock, shock, and shock - biased upward respectively. It is recommended to focus on the support at the MA5 line, with the core logic being that the real - world contradictions are limited and steel prices are stabilizing in a shock pattern [2]. 3. Summary by Relevant Catalogs 3.1 Variety View Reference - The short - term, medium - term, and intraday views of rebar 2510 are shock, shock, and shock - biased upward respectively. The reference suggestion is to focus on the support at the MA5 line, and the core logic is that the real - world contradictions are limited and steel prices are stabilizing in a shock pattern. The calculation of price changes and criteria for different trends are also explained [2]. 3.2 Market Driving Logic - Over the weekend, steel spot prices remained stable. The supply - demand pattern of rebar has seasonally weakened. Construction steel mills have increased production, with the weekly output of rebar slightly increasing but still at a relatively low level, and the supply change is not significant. Meanwhile, rebar demand has seasonally weakened, with weekly apparent demand weakly stable and high - frequency transactions being sluggish. The weak demand is pressuring steel prices. In general, rebar supply is rising while demand continues its seasonal weakness, the fundamentals have not improved, and steel prices are still under pressure. The relatively positive factor is the low inventory and limited real - world contradictions. The short - term trend will maintain a low - level shock pattern, and attention should be paid to the production situation of steel mills [3].

Report Summary 1. Report Industry Investment Rating No information provided. 2. Core Viewpoints of the Report - The five major steel products continued to experience a slight reduction in inventory. Building materials' inventory reduction continued to slow down, while plates saw a slight reduction. Among them, the factory and social inventories of rebar and wire rod continued to decline slightly, the factory and social inventories of hot-rolled coil and cold-rolled coil turned to a slight reduction, and the factory and social inventories of medium and heavy plates both increased [7]. - The profit of blast furnace steel mills has recovered, with the operating rate and capacity utilization rate increasing month-on-month, and the daily average molten iron production increasing slightly. The operating rate of electric furnaces decreased due to losses. The output of the five major steel products increased month-on-month, with significant increases in the output of rebar and wire rod, and a slight month-on-month increase in the output of hot-rolled coil. Driven by profits, steel mills still lack the motivation to reduce production [7]. - The apparent demand of the five major steel products increased month-on-month. Among them, the decline in the apparent demand of rebar slowed down, and the apparent demand of hot-rolled coil increased significantly month-on-month. Currently, the impact of seasonal factors on demand still exists, and there is still marginal weakening pressure on demand [7]. - Recently, geopolitical issues have disrupted the international energy market, boosting coal prices and causing the prices of the black series to stop falling and fluctuate at low levels. In the industry, Tangshan recently received a production restriction notice, which will affect steel supply. However, since steel mills still have overall profits, the production reduction efforts of steel mills are limited, and the reduction in steel output is not obvious. As it enters the consumption off-season, the elasticity of terminal demand is insufficient, and the inventory reduction is gradually slowing down. Currently, there is no obvious contradiction between steel supply and demand, but consumption is marginally weakening, and the supply-demand contradiction is gradually accumulating. In the short term, the market will continue to fluctuate following macro news, but the demand outlook is expected to be weak, and steel prices will continue to fluctuate at low levels [7]. 3. Summary by Relevant Catalog 3.1 Week - Weekly Viewpoints and Strategies - **Inventory**: The five major steel products continued to experience a slight reduction in inventory, with different trends for different varieties [7]. - **Supply**: The profit of blast furnace steel mills recovered, and the output of the five major steel products increased month-on-month. Driven by profits, steel mills still lack the motivation to reduce production [7]. - **Demand**: The apparent demand of the five major steel products increased month-on-month, but seasonal factors still affected demand, and there was marginal weakening pressure [7]. - **Viewpoint**: Geopolitical issues affected the black series prices, and the production restriction notice in Tangshan had limited impact on steel supply reduction. Entering the consumption off-season, the inventory reduction slowed down, and steel prices continued to fluctuate at low levels [7]. - **Strategy**: Pay attention to the pressure around 3020 for the RB2510 contract and the repair of the basis between futures and spot [7]. 3.2 Futures and Spot Market - As of June 20, 2025, the RB2510 contract closed at 2992 yuan/ton, and the HC2510 contract closed at 3116 yuan/ton. The Shanghai rebar basis was 98 yuan/ton, and the Shanghai hot-rolled coil basis was 84 yuan/ton. The RB10 - 01 contract spread closed at 7 yuan/ton, and the HC10 - 01 contract spread closed at 9 yuan/ton. The Shanghai spot screw - coil spread was - 110 yuan/ton, and the main contract screw - coil spread was - 124 yuan/ton [16][34]. 3.3 Inventory - As of the week of June 20, the total inventory of the five major steel products was 1338.89 million tons, a month-on-month decrease of 15.67 million tons. Among them, the rebar inventory was 551.07 million tons, a month-on-month decrease of 7.01 million tons; the hot-rolled coil inventory was 340.17 million tons, a month-on-month decrease of 5.24 million tons; the wire rod inventory was 94.09 million tons, a month-on-month decrease of 3.64 million tons; the cold-rolled coil inventory was 172.81 million tons, a month-on-month decrease of 1.41 million tons; and the medium and heavy plate inventory was 180.75 million tons, a month-on-month increase of 1.63 million tons [9]. 3.4 Supply - The blast furnace operating rate of 247 steel mills was 83.82%, with a month-on-month increase of 0.41 percentage points; the capacity utilization rate was 90.79%, with a month-on-month increase of 0.21 percentage points; the profitability rate was 59.31%, with a month-on-month increase of 0.87 percentage points; the daily average molten iron production was 242.18 million tons, with a month-on-month increase of 0.57 million tons. The operating rate of 87 independent electric furnaces was 70.93%, with a month-on-month decrease of 3.08 percentage points; the capacity utilization rate was 54.54%, with a month-on-month decrease of 2.19 percentage points; the scrap consumption was 252.27 million tons, with a month-on-month increase of 1.71 million tons. The total output of the five major steel products was 868.51 million tons, with a month-on-month increase of 9.66 million tons. Among them, the output of rebar and wire rod increased significantly, and the output of hot-rolled coil increased slightly month-on-month [9]. 3.5 Demand - The apparent demand of the five major steel products increased month-on-month. The apparent demand of rebar decreased at a slower rate, and the apparent demand of hot-rolled coil increased significantly month-on-month. The daily average trading volume of traders (MA5) was 9.42 million tons, a month-on-month decrease of 0.47 million tons; the Shanghai wire rod procurement volume was 16,200 tons, a month-on-month decrease of 200 tons; the apparent demand of rebar was 219.19 million tons, a month-on-month decrease of 0.78 million tons; the apparent demand of hot-rolled coil was 330.69 million tons, a month-on-month increase of 10.81 million tons; the apparent demand of wire rod was 88.7 million tons, a month-on-month increase of 4.81 million tons; the apparent demand of cold-rolled coil was 89.76 million tons, a month-on-month increase of 1.53 million tons; the apparent demand of medium and heavy plates was 155.84 million tons, a month-on-month decrease of 0.29 million tons [7][9].

钢材周报 2025 年 6 月 16 日 南方雨季来临 钢价震荡偏弱 核心观点及策略 投资咨询业务资格 沪证监许可【2015】84 号 李婷 021-68555105 li.t@jyqh.com.cn 从业资格号：F0297587 投资咨询号：Z0011509 黄蕾 huang.lei@jyqh.com.cn 从业资格号：F0307990 投资咨询号：Z0011692 高慧 gao.h@jyqh.com.cn 从业资格号：F03099478 投资咨询号：Z0017785 王工建 wang.gj@jyqh.com.cn 从业资格号：F3084165 投资咨询号：Z0016301 赵凯熙 zhao.kx@jyqh.com.cn 从业资格号：F03112296 投资咨询号：Z0021040 敬请参阅最后一页免责声明 1/8 ⚫ 宏观面：6月9日至10日，中美经贸磋商机制首次会议在 英国伦敦举行。双方进行了坦诚、深入的对话，就各自 关心的经贸议题深入交换意见，就落实两国元首6月5日 通话重要共识和巩固日内瓦经贸会谈成果的措施框架 达成原则一致，就解决双方彼此经贸关切取得新进展。 6月13日，《广州市提振消费专项行动实 ...

Group 1 - The short - term, medium - term, and intraday views of rebar 2510 are oscillatory, oscillatory, and oscillatory with a slight upward bias respectively. It is recommended to pay attention to the support at the MA10 line. The core logic is that market sentiment has improved and steel prices have stabilized in an oscillatory manner [2]. - The market sentiment has improved, and steel prices have rebounded from the low level. The supply and demand of rebar are both weak. The production of construction steel mills is weakening, and the output of rebar is continuously decreasing. The demand for rebar in the off - season is poor, and high - frequency indicators are running weakly. The current contradiction of rebar is not significant. Driven by the repair of pessimistic expectations, steel prices have stabilized in an oscillatory manner, but the fundamentals have not improved, and the upward driving force in the off - season is not strong. The subsequent trend is expected to continue to oscillate at a low level, and attention should be paid to the demand performance [3].

Group 1: Report Industry Investment Rating - No relevant content provided Group 2: Core Views of the Report - In May, steel production was stable at a high level, with a slight decline in late - May due to some steel mill maintenance. The weekly output of rebar decreased from 2.33 million tons to 2.2 million tons, while that of hot - rolled coil increased from 3.19 million tons to 3.29 million tons. In June, demand weakened and export slowed down, accumulating off - season contradictions [3][14]. - Steel demand will face both internal and external pressures. Construction material demand weakened, and plate demand was weak. Real estate investment was sluggish, and infrastructure was stable but not strong. The apparent demand for rebar dropped to 2.29 million tons. The manufacturing industry was in a contraction range, and industries such as automobiles and home appliances weakened. The apparent demand for hot - rolled coil dropped to 3.21 million tons. Export resilience weakened, with steel exports increasing by 8.2% year - on - year from January to April, but the new export order index in May shrank to 42% [3]. - In the next month, steel prices will face continuous pressure. Terminal real estate investment will continue to decline, and due to poor data on new housing starts and construction areas, combined with seasonal patterns, the apparent demand for construction materials will decline. The domestic manufacturing industry will continue to contract, the demand for automobiles and home appliances will slow down, and overseas tariff impacts will lead to weak demand for hot - rolled coils. Overall, steel demand will face both internal and external pressures, and the steel price center is expected to move further down. The market is still concerned about crude steel production control policies [3]. Group 3: Summary According to the Table of Contents 1. Market Review - In May, the steel market was under pressure and declined. After the May Day holiday, steel prices rose and then fell, with weak supply and demand. The blast furnace operating rate remained high, and electric furnaces reduced production due to losses. The demand side was suppressed by the decline in real estate investment. On May 12, the Sino - US tariff negotiation reached an agreement, boosting market sentiment, but the steel price rebound was short - lived. In the second half of the month, steel prices broke through downward after narrow - range fluctuations. Weak reality (declining off - season demand) and weak expectations (weak real estate + export pressure), combined with high supply and cost loosening, drove steel prices down. In June, supply - demand contradictions may further accumulate [8]. 2. Steel Fundamental Analysis 2.1 Steel mills' production is stable, and supply pressure remains high - From January to April, China's pig iron, crude steel, and steel production were 288.85 million tons, 345.35 million tons, and 480.21 million tons respectively, with cumulative year - on - year increases of 0.8%, 0.4%, and 6%. In April, crude steel production decreased by 7.3% month - on - month due to blast furnace maintenance and weak demand. In May, steel production was stable at a high level, with blast furnace hot metal production remaining at around 2.44 million tons per day. The average daily output of key steel enterprises' crude steel was about 2.2 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 3.08%; the weekly output of five major steel products was 8.8 million tons, a year - on - year decrease of 2.8%. The production structure was differentiated, with long - process better than short - process. Electric furnace losses increased, and the capacity utilization rate decreased by 2.2% to 33.8% [14]. 2.2 Steel inventory reduction slowed down, and factory inventory increased - In May, steel inventory continued to decline, but the decline narrowed. The absolute inventory was at a historical low, and the differentiation between varieties intensified. As of June 5, the total inventory of five major steel products was 13.64 million tons (a month - on - month decrease of 0.83 million tons), the social inventory was 9.31 million tons (a decrease of 0.92 million tons), and the factory inventory was 4.33 million tons (an increase of 0.09 million tons). After the May delivery, the number of warehouse receipts decreased significantly. The inventory of rebar and hot - rolled coil will gradually enter the accumulation cycle [19]. 2.3 Demand enters the off - season, and pressure increases - Construction steel demand is weak and entering the off - season. Real estate investment is sluggish, and infrastructure is stable but not strong. The apparent demand for rebar dropped to 2.29 million tons. The manufacturing industry is in a contraction range, and industries such as automobiles and home appliances are weak. The apparent demand for hot - rolled coil dropped to 3.21 million tons. Export resilience weakened, and subsequent exports are under pressure [22]. 2.4 External risks still exist - On May 7, three departments issued a package of financial policies to stabilize the market and expectations. Real estate investment continued to decline, and housing steel - using indicators continued to decline significantly. Infrastructure investment grew steadily, with the issuance of special bonds accelerating. In May, manufacturing steel - using showed internal differentiation and weakening external demand. Steel exports faced short - term pressure relief but were still blocked in the medium term. From January to April 2025, China's cumulative steel imports were 2.07 million tons, a year - on - year decrease of 13.9%, and cumulative exports were 37.89 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 8.2% [28][31][46]. 3. Market Outlook - Supply side: In May, steel production was stable at a high level. In June, demand weakened and export slowed down, accumulating off - season contradictions. - Demand side: Steel demand will face both internal and external pressures. Construction material demand will weaken, and plate demand will be weak. Overall, steel demand will continue to face double pressures, and the steel price center is expected to move further down. The market is still concerned about crude steel production control policies [48][51].

Report Industry Investment Rating - For the steel product industry, it is recommended to be treated with a bias towards short positions in a volatile market [1] - For the raw material industry, it is recommended to try short positions on rebounds [1] Core Viewpoints - The steel product market is currently affected by high supply and weak demand, with prices continuously bottoming out. As it enters the seasonal demand off - season, it is difficult for demand to improve substantially in the short term [1] Summary by Related Content Steel Product - As of May 29, 2025, 7 Shandong steel mills have adjusted their annual crude steel production to 55.63 million tons, a decrease of about 3.5 million tons compared to the same period last year [1] - This week, the supply of Mysteel's five major steel products was 8.8085 million tons, a week - on - week increase of 84,100 tons, an increase of 1% [1] - The total inventory of the five major steel products was 13.656 million tons, a week - on - week decrease of 329,400 tons. Among them, the social inventory was 9.3254 million tons, a week - on - week decrease of 280,200 tons; the steel mill inventory was 4.3306 million tons, a week - on - week decrease of 49,200 tons [1] - After continuous decline, the steel product price rebounded slightly yesterday. The weekly inventory continued to decline, and the apparent demand increased slightly [1] Raw Material - The raw material market is recommended to try short positions on rebounds [1]

Report Summary 1. Report Industry Investment Rating No relevant content provided. 2. Core Viewpoints - Last week, the rebar 2510 contract rose 1.52%. Although the molten iron output decreased slightly, the supply remained at a high level, while the demand faced seasonal decline pressure. Driven by the macro - factors, steel prices rebounded slightly last week. Recently, steel prices are mainly stable and volatile, and there may still be a small rebound space [4][34]. 3. Summary by Directory Price Analysis - As of May 16, 2025, the spot price of rebar in Shanghai was 3,200 yuan/ton, down 20 yuan/ton from the previous trading day, and in Tianjin, it was 3,210 yuan/ton, down 40 yuan/ton from the previous trading day [9]. Important Market Information - The Chinese side believes that the US practice of imposing 232 tariffs on imported automobiles, steel, aluminum and launching a 232 investigation on imported drugs is a typical act of unilateralism and protectionism, which not only damages the rights and interests of other countries and undermines the multilateral trading system based on rules, but also does no good to the development of its own industries. The Chinese side urges the US to stop the 232 tariff measures as soon as possible [14]. Supply - side Situation - According to Mysteel data, the blast furnace operating rate of 247 steel mills last week was 84.15%, a decrease of 0.47% month - on - month and an increase of 2.65% year - on - year; the blast furnace ironmaking capacity utilization rate was 91.76%, a decrease of 0.33% month - on - month and an increase of 3.19% year - on - year; the steel mill profitability rate was 59.31%, an increase of 0.44 percentage points month - on - month and an increase of 7.36% year - on - year; the daily average molten iron output was 244.77 million tons, a decrease of 0.87 million tons month - on - month. The overall operating rate of 87 section steel production lines in Tangshan last week was 55.93%, an increase of 13.56% month - on - month, and the section steel capacity utilization rate was 51.68%, an increase of 3.86% month - on - month. The capacity utilization rate of 523 coking coal mines last week was 89.3%, a decrease of 0.7% month - on - month. The daily average output of raw coal was 200.6 million tons, a decrease of 1.5 million tons month - on - month, and the raw coal inventory was 606.8 million tons, an increase of 27.0 million tons month - on - month [4][33]. Demand - side Situation - In April 2025, the current value of the non - manufacturing PMI in the construction industry was 51.9, a decrease of 1.5% month - on - month; the current value of the steel circulation industry purchasing manager index of Lange Steel was 48.8, a decrease of 3.8% month - on - month [22]. Inventory - side Situation No specific inventory data was provided in the content other than the inventory - related section title. Fundamental Analysis - According to the data of the Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA) in Australia, the iron ore exports from Port Hedland decreased to 46.6938 billion tons in April 2025 from 50.6610 billion tons in March; the spodumene concentrate exports decreased to 109,789 tons from 143,640 tons in March. Among them, the iron ore exports from Port Hedland to China in April were 41.1047 billion tons, compared with 41.1912 billion tons in March [33]. 后市展望 - Last week, the molten iron output decreased slightly, but the supply remained at a high level, while the demand faced seasonal decline pressure. Driven by the macro - factors, steel prices rebounded slightly last week. Recently, steel prices are mainly stable and volatile, and there may still be a small rebound space [4][34]. Trading Strategy - It is recommended to treat the market as stable, volatile and rebounding [5][35].

Group 1 - The core viewpoint indicates that the black metal market is experiencing significant fluctuations, with current prices showing slight increases in various regions, but overall demand remains weak and the medium to long-term trend is downward [1] - Steel production is decreasing overall, with a slowdown in inventory reduction and an accumulation of inventory in construction materials, while the demand for steel has significantly declined [1] - There are rumors that domestic export inspections may increase in May, which, combined with overseas tariff impacts, could lead to a decline in steel exports [1] Group 2 - The recent monetary policy adjustments include a 0.5 percentage point reduction in the reserve requirement ratio and a 0.1 percentage point decrease in the policy interest rate, which is expected to influence steel prices [1] - As of May 6, the funding availability rate for construction sites is reported at 58.95%, with a slight week-on-week increase, indicating a mixed outlook for construction projects [1] - The funding availability rate for non-residential projects is higher at 60.47%, while residential projects lag behind at 51.38%, reflecting varying levels of financial support across different construction sectors [1]

Report Industry Investment Rating No relevant content provided. Core Viewpoints of the Report - In April, steel prices oscillated downward under the dominance of macro - negative factors, despite some improvement in the steel market fundamentals during the peak season. The low inventory of steel has limited positive effects due to differentiation among varieties and regions, and the uncertainty of inventory depletion in the coming off - season. [5] - Steel mills maintained high production levels as their profitability did not deteriorate, leading to a high supply of steel. There is a risk that the pressure from off - balance - sheet steel may transfer to on - balance - sheet steel, increasing supply pressure. [5] - Steel demand improved seasonally but was lackluster during the peak season, with a continued differentiation in strength among varieties. Construction steel demand is expected to remain weak, while plate demand is supported by the domestic manufacturing industry but has potential risks from overseas. [5] - Looking ahead, overseas risks will still affect the steel market, but the impact will weaken. As demand shifts from peak to off - season and external demand has potential risks, steel prices are likely to come under pressure. Attention should be paid to the production situation of steel mills. [6] Summary According to the Directory 1. 4 - Month Steel Prices Declined Weakly - In April, steel prices oscillated downward under the influence of macro - negative factors such as the intensification of the Sino - US trade war. By April 25, the main futures prices of rebar and hot - rolled coil decreased by 4.50% and 5.18% respectively compared to the end of last month, hitting new lows for the year. Spot prices were relatively resilient, showing a low - level oscillating trend. [12] - In April, the basis of steel strengthened significantly, and the term structure of rebar and hot - rolled coil remained in a contango structure with a narrowing premium for far - month contracts. The strength of varieties switched again, and the price difference between hot - rolled coil and rebar decreased. [13] 2. Steel Inventory Depleted with a Decent Decline - By the week of April 25, the total inventory of five major steel products decreased by 11.71% compared to the end of last month, reaching a low level in recent years. Construction steel inventory decreased significantly, while plate inventory depletion was less due to high supply. [22][25] - Steel social inventory decreased by 13.58% compared to the end of last month, while factory inventory decreased by 6.88%. The inventory of rebar continued to deplete, but there were concerns about the inflection point. The inventory of hot - rolled coil continued to deplete, but the decline was narrowing, and the pressure remained. [26][32][40] 3. Steel Supply Remained High and Pressure Needed to be Alleviated - In the peak season, steel mills were actively producing, and steel supply returned to a high level. From January to March, domestic crude steel production increased by 0.60% year - on - year. In April, steel mills increased production again. High - frequency data also showed that steel supply was rising. [48] - As of the week of April 25, the blast furnace operating rate and capacity utilization rate of 247 steel mills reached 84.33% and 91.60% respectively. The production of short - process steel mills was also active. The supply increase was mainly in off - balance - sheet steel. [51] - The production of construction steel mills was active, and rebar production was at a high level. The production of hot - rolled coil decreased slightly due to maintenance but was expected to increase again. [61][65] 4. Steel Demand Improved Seasonally with Differentiated Strength among Varieties 4.1 High - Frequency Demand Indicators Continued to Rise - By the week of April 25, the weekly apparent demand for steel increased by 6.49 tons compared to the end of last month, but was still lower than the same period last year. In April, the total steel demand increased by 4.16% compared to the same period last month but decreased by 3.87% year - on - year. [68] - Construction steel demand improved seasonally but was still weak, while plate demand was supported by the domestic manufacturing industry but faced potential risks from overseas. [69] - Rebar demand improved but with limited increase and was expected to weaken seasonally. Hot - rolled coil demand showed weakening resilience, and the demand expectation was weak. [74][82] 4.2 Steel Exports Reached a High Level, Beware of Hidden Risks Materializing - In March, China's steel exports reached 10.456 million tons, a new monthly high. From January to March, cumulative steel exports increased by 6.3% year - on - year. However, the steel export situation is becoming more severe as Vietnam and South Korea have launched anti - dumping investigations on Chinese steel. [89][90] - The export price difference has increased, strengthening the order - taking ability. Before the anti - dumping rulings, there was a "rush to export" situation. The increase in billet exports compensated for the decline in finished steel exports. Overall, steel export demand was expected to remain at a relatively high level but faced risks. [91][92] 4.3 The Economy Started Well and Policies Remained Steady - In the first quarter of 2025, the domestic economy started well, with GDP growing by 5.4% in real terms and 4.6% in nominal terms year - on - year. Industrial production was strong, and the service industry also showed an upward trend. [95] - Investment improved steadily, with the narrowing of the drag from the real estate sector. In the real estate market, sales improved, and the cash flow of real estate enterprises improved marginally, but the demand for steel in the real estate sector was expected to remain weak. [98][101] - Infrastructure investment accelerated, with the issuance of infrastructure funds speeding up. Policy support was expected to continue to promote infrastructure investment in the second quarter. [108] 5. Conclusion - In April, steel prices declined under the influence of macro - negative factors. Steel inventory depleted, but the positive effect was limited. Steel supply remained high, and demand improved seasonally but was lackluster. [115] - Looking ahead, overseas risks will still affect the steel market, but the impact will weaken. As demand enters the off - season and external demand has potential risks, steel prices are likely to come under pressure, and attention should be paid to the production of steel mills. [118]