Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for several key companies in the steel industry, including Xining Special Steel, Hualing Steel, Nanjing Steel, and Baosteel [6][9]. Core Insights - The steel industry is expected to benefit from macroeconomic policies aimed at stimulating demand and reducing supply, with a focus on high-quality development [2][4]. - The report highlights an increase in daily molten iron production and a decrease in inventory levels, indicating a tightening supply situation [3][12]. - The demand for steel products has shown signs of recovery, although there are fluctuations in specific product categories [39][47]. - The report emphasizes the importance of structural changes in the economy, moving from investment-driven growth to consumption-driven growth [2][4]. Supply Analysis - Daily molten iron production increased by 4.4 thousand tons to 244.4 thousand tons, with a rise in the utilization rate of blast furnaces to 91.6%, up 1.5 percentage points from the previous week [3][18]. - Total steel inventory decreased by 3.2%, with significant reductions in both social and factory inventories [24][25]. - The report notes that the government is implementing policies to control crude steel production, which is expected to lead to a reduction in supply and support price stability [4][13]. Demand Analysis - Apparent consumption of the five major steel products decreased by 2.4% week-on-week, with rebar consumption showing a notable decline [39][47]. - The average weekly transaction volume for construction steel increased by 11.6%, indicating some recovery in demand [40][39]. Price and Profitability - Steel prices have shown strength, with the Myspic comprehensive steel price index rising by 0.7% week-on-week [66]. - The report indicates that the gross profit margins for steel products are improving, particularly for long-process steel [66][68]. - The report highlights that the current market conditions may lead to a stronger performance in steel prices in the near term [66][67]. Key Companies - The report recommends several companies for investment, including: - Hualing Steel (Buy) - Nanjing Steel (Buy) - Baosteel (Buy) - Xining Special Steel (Buy) - Jiuli Special Materials (Buy) - New Steel (Buy) - Changbao Steel (Buy) - Yongjin Steel (Buy) [9].

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the steel industry, citing improvements in supply and demand dynamics that provide bottom support for steel prices [1]. Core Viewpoints - The report highlights that the supply-demand relationship has improved, contributing to a bottom support for steel prices. As of April 18, the prices for five major steel products showed slight declines, with rebar at 3,279 CNY/ton, down 0.59% week-on-week. Total production for these products was 8.7271 million tons, a week-on-week increase of 16,500 tons [1][2]. - The report notes a significant increase in apparent consumption of major steel products, particularly rebar, which saw a week-on-week increase of 21,140 tons. This is attributed to a rapid decline in inventory levels, with social inventory of rebar decreasing by 30,340 tons [2][9]. - The report emphasizes that while steel prices remain weak, they are at low levels, and the demand from essential purchases is providing some support for price stability. The industry is in a phase of seeking a new equilibrium in supply and demand, with expectations of gradual stabilization in the fundamentals [2][9]. Summary by Sections 1. Market Review - As of April 18, the five major steel product prices were as follows: rebar at 3,279 CNY/ton, wire rod at 3,608 CNY/ton, hot-rolled coil at 3,262 CNY/ton, cold-rolled coil at 3,872 CNY/ton, and medium plate at 3,515 CNY/ton. Weekly changes were -0.59%, -0.48%, -0.88%, -2.14%, and +0.13% respectively [1][14]. 2. Key Industry Data Tracking (a) Production Data - The total production of the five major steel products was 8.7271 million tons, with a week-on-week increase of 16,500 tons. Daily average pig iron production from 247 steel enterprises was 2.4012 million tons, a slight decrease of 1,000 tons week-on-week [1][20]. (b) Consumption Volume of Major Steel Products - The total apparent consumption of the five major steel products reached 9.4864 million tons, with a week-on-week increase of 481,000 tons. The apparent consumption changes for rebar, wire rod, hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, and medium plate were +21,140 tons, +17,030 tons, +8,830 tons, -1,520 tons, and +2,620 tons respectively [1][39]. (c) Inventory Situation - Total steel inventory decreased to 15.8468 million tons, down 759,300 tons week-on-week. Social inventory fell by 519,000 tons to 11.2483 million tons, while steel mill inventory decreased by 240,300 tons to 4.5985 million tons [1][51]. (d) Profitability Situation - As of April 18, the gross profit per ton for high furnace rebar, hot-rolled coil, and cold-rolled coil was +73 CNY/ton, +22 CNY/ton, and +60 CNY/ton respectively, with week-on-week changes of -35 CNY/ton, -45 CNY/ton, and -84 CNY/ton [1][39].

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for several key companies in the steel industry, including Hualing Steel, Nanjing Steel, Baosteel, and New Steel [8]. Core Insights - The steel industry is experiencing a significant recovery in production and demand, with March crude steel daily output increasing by 5.2% year-on-year and 6.3% month-on-month, indicating a strong recovery in steel mills' production enthusiasm [2][6]. - The apparent consumption of steel in March 2025 reached 82.89 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 4.9%, with a notable acceleration in downstream demand [2]. - The net export of steel in March was 9.96 million tons, up 7.4% year-on-year, driven by price advantages and export factors [3]. Summary by Sections Production and Demand - In March 2025, crude steel production was 92.84 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 4.6%, with a daily average of 2.995 million tons [6]. - The manufacturing sector showed strong growth, with the manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) at 50.5, indicating expansion [2]. Export and Import Trends - March steel exports were 10.46 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 5.7%, while imports decreased by 18.8% [6]. - Iron ore imports in March were 93.97 million tons, down 6.7% year-on-year, influenced by high port inventories [6]. Government Policy and Industry Outlook - The government is expected to continue implementing crude steel production controls to promote industry restructuring, with some steel mills already announcing production cuts [3]. - The report suggests that the steel industry's medium to long-term fundamentals are likely to improve, supported by government fiscal measures and supply-side adjustments [7].

Group 1: Steel Production Reduction News and Market Performance - On February 26, rumors emerged about a plan to reduce crude steel production by 50 million tons by 2025, leading to a surge in steel stocks and a significant increase in black commodity futures and spot prices [3] - By March 3, the Tangshan Environmental Protection Bureau announced stricter control measures for steel production during the two sessions, with an initial reduction of 30% in production planned [3][4] - On March 24, several steel companies in Xinjiang announced a 10% daily reduction in crude steel production in response to national directives, resulting in a significant rebound in black commodity futures [5] Group 2: Industry Insights and Analysis - The current market is experiencing mixed signals regarding supply-side policies, with the potential for significant production cuts being debated, but the actual impact from Xinjiang's reduction is limited due to its small share of national production [6][7] - If Jiangsu and Shandong provinces implement their proposed reductions of 14 million tons and 4 million tons respectively, the total reduction could exceed 3.93 million tons, marking the largest annual decline since 1982 [7][10] - The steel industry is facing challenges in achieving large-scale production cuts due to stable profit margins and improving demand conditions, despite ongoing discussions about production reductions [12][13][14] Group 3: Demand and Profitability Factors - The steel demand structure is undergoing transformation, with the real estate sector showing signs of recovery, which may mitigate the need for drastic production cuts [13][14] - Steel companies are currently maintaining stable profit margins, with profitability rates around 48%-54%, indicating a lack of immediate pressure to reduce production significantly [13][14] - Inventory levels are a critical indicator of market dynamics, with current inventory reductions showing significant year-on-year declines, although the rate of inventory depletion is weaker than expected [15]