Report Industry Investment Rating - The mid - term outlook for the black building materials sector is "oscillation" [7] Core View of the Report - As the off - season begins, the expectation of weakening steel demand remains unchanged, and the inventory depletion is expected to slow down, putting pressure on steel prices. With the weakening of environmental protection restrictions, the weekly hot metal output is expected to stop falling and rise, supporting the demand for furnace materials. The coal mine production remains restricted this week, and the coal mine inventory continues to decline at a low level. The coking coal fundamentals are still supported, corresponding to the price stop - falling and rising since yesterday. The strong furnace material prices further support the steel cost. With no new changes in macro and policies, the prices of short - term sector varieties will maintain an oscillatory operation [2]. Summary According to Relevant Catalogs 1. Overall Situation of Iron, Carbon, and Alloy Elements - **Iron Element**: This week, hot metal output shows signs of stopping decline, but considering the seasonal maintenance of steel enterprises in the traditional off - season, the overall downward trend of hot metal remains unchanged, corresponding to the marginal weakening of iron ore fundamentals. However, there are still disturbances from internal and external macro and policy expectations, and the short - term price is expected to oscillate. The supply and demand of scrap steel both increase, with no prominent fundamental contradictions. The short - term finished product prices are under pressure, and scrap steel prices are expected to follow the finished products [3]. - **Carbon Element**: After three rounds of coke price increases, the profit pressure on steel mills is relatively large, so the expectation of a fourth - round price increase is currently small. Given the strong cost support for coke and the continued procurement demand from steel mills, the coke price is expected to oscillate. This week, both domestic coking coal supply and upstream inventory have decreased, and the coking coal fundamentals remain relatively healthy. It is expected that coking coal supply will still be difficult to improve in the future. With continuous procurement from the middle and lower reaches, coal mine inventory has dropped to a low level in recent years, and the short - term fundamentals remain healthy. The coking coal price is expected to oscillate [3]. - **Alloy**: In the short term, the firm cost supports the price of ferromanganese - silicon, but the market supply - demand continues to have a pessimistic expectation, and there is insufficient driving force for the price increase of ferromanganese - silicon. The strong short - term cost trend supports the price of ferrosilicon, but the market supply - demand relationship is relatively loose, suppressing the upward price space [3]. 2. Glass and Soda Ash - Supply disturbance expectations have fermented again, and the supply side faces short - term downward risks. However, the inventory of middle and lower reaches is moderately high. If the production and sales continue to be weak, the price will return to an oscillatory and weak state. In the long - term, market - oriented capacity reduction is still needed. If the market refocuses on fundamentals, the price may continue to oscillate downward. Recently, downstream enterprises have started to replenish inventory as they think the price is appropriate. After the inventory of soda ash plants is depleted, the price has slightly increased, and it is expected to oscillate in the short - term [4][7]. 3. Specific Analysis of Each Variety - **Steel**: The spot market transactions are generally weak, mainly at low prices. Recently, the profit of steel mills has marginally improved, but affected by environmental protection restrictions and seasonal maintenance of steel mills, hot metal output has declined from a high level, and steel production shows a downward trend. As the peak season is coming to an end, the demand side faces the pressure of falling from a high level. Steel inventory continues to be depleted, but the depletion speed has slowed down, and the inventory level remains higher than the same period last year. The short - term macro - sentiment has cooled down, and the futures market is expected to be under pressure for adjustment, but the cost side still has support, and the downward space of the futures market is limited [9]. - **Iron Ore**: The port transactions have decreased, and the spot market transactions have weakened. From a fundamental perspective, the overseas mine shipping end is relatively stable, and the arrival volume has fluctuated greatly in the past month, but the average arrival volume basically meets expectations. The demand side has a slight increase in the daily consumption of sintered powder ore, and there is an expectation of a month - on - month increase in hot metal, but the profitability rate of steel mills continues to weaken, and the peak season is gradually ending, which may limit the recovery space of hot metal. In terms of inventory, under sintering restrictions, the inventory of sintered powder ore has increased month - on - month, and the production and inventory of sintered ore have slightly decreased. The market sentiment is weak, but the price still has support when the demand does not weaken significantly [9]. - **Scrap Steel**: The arrival volume of scrap steel has increased slightly this week, approaching the level of the same period last year. The demand has also increased, with an increase in the daily consumption of electric furnaces in various regions. The overall daily consumption of scrap steel in 255 steel mills has decreased. The fundamentals of scrap steel have no prominent contradictions, and the short - term finished product prices are under pressure. Scrap steel prices are expected to follow the finished products [11]. - **Coke**: The futures market oscillates, and the spot price in Rizhao Port remains unchanged. After three rounds of price increases, the supply of coke is difficult to increase due to environmental protection and maintenance. The demand side is affected by environmental protection in Tangshan, and hot metal has declined significantly in the short - term. If the environmental protection inspection intensity weakens in the future, hot metal may still have a slight upward trend. The overall supply - demand of coke is relatively healthy, and the fundamentals have no major contradictions. After three rounds of price increases, the profit pressure on steel mills is large, so the expectation of a fourth - round price increase is small. Given the strong cost support and the continued procurement demand from steel mills, the coke price is expected to oscillate [13]. - **Coking Coal**: The futures market oscillates, and the spot price has increased. The supply of domestic coking coal and upstream inventory have both decreased this week. The import volume at the Ganqimaodu Port remains high, but high - quality resources at the port are still in short supply. The downstream coking enterprises still have the enthusiasm to replenish inventory, and the coal mine inventory has dropped to a low level in recent years. The short - term fundamentals remain healthy, and the coking coal price is expected to oscillate [14]. - **Glass**: The supply disturbance expectation has fermented again, and the supply side faces short - term downward risks. However, the inventory of middle and lower reaches is moderately high. If the production and sales continue to be weak, the price will return to an oscillatory and weak state. In the long - term, market - oriented capacity reduction is still needed, and if the price returns to fundamental trading, it is expected to oscillate downward [15]. - **Soda Ash**: The downstream has started to replenish inventory at low prices, and the spot price has slightly increased. The supply side has a daily output of 104,000 tons, and some manufacturers are under maintenance, with the output remaining unchanged month - on - month. The demand side has a stable and good demand for heavy soda ash, and the downstream procurement of light soda ash has recovered to some extent. The supply - demand fundamentals have no obvious changes, and the industry is still in the stage of clearing at the bottom of the cycle. It is expected that the price will oscillate in the short - term, and in the long - term, the supply surplus pattern will further intensify, and the price center will continue to decline [15][17]. - **Ferromanganese - Silicon**: The futures market price has slightly increased, and the cost support and supply - demand pressure are in a stalemate. The spot market is waiting for the performance of the new round of steel tenders, and the manufacturers' shipment situation is average, with the downstream's price - cutting sentiment remaining. The short - term cost is firm, supporting the price of ferromanganese - silicon, but the market supply - demand continues to have a pessimistic expectation, and there is insufficient driving force for the price increase [17]. - **Ferrosilicon**: The futures market price is strongly oscillating, and the settlement electricity price increase strengthens the cost support, but the loose supply - demand suppresses the increase in the futures market. The spot market remains stable, and manufacturers are reluctant to sell at low prices due to cost pressure. The short - term cost trend is strong, supporting the price of ferrosilicon, but the market supply - demand relationship is relatively loose, and there is insufficient driving force for the price to rise [18].

Report Summary 1. Report Industry Investment Rating No investment rating information is provided in the report. 2. Core Views - Methanol: High imports are materializing, inventory accumulation is occurring, and the futures price is undervalued. It is in a period of negative factor realization. With unstable macro - environment and weak methanol prices in Europe and the US, the unilateral direction is hard to determine. Given the low valuation, a long - position strategy at low prices is preferred [2]. - Plastic (Polyethylene): The overall inventory of polyethylene is neutral. The 09 basis is around 0 in North China and +120 in East China. The import profit is around - 400 with no further increase. The non - standard HD injection price is stable, and other price spreads are fluctuating. The domestic linear production has increased month - on - month in June. Attention should be paid to the LL - HD conversion and US quotes, as well as the new device commissioning in 2025 [7]. - PP (Polypropylene): The upstream and mid - stream inventories of polypropylene are decreasing. The basis is +100, the non - standard price spread is neutral, and the import profit is around - 500. Exports have been good this year. The PDH profit is around - 1000, and the propylene price is fluctuating. The supply is expected to increase slightly in June. The downstream orders are average, and the raw material and finished - product inventories are neutral. In the context of over - capacity, the 09 contract is under moderate to excessive pressure, which can be alleviated if exports continue to expand or PDH devices undergo more maintenance [7]. - PVC: The basis has strengthened to 09 - 150, and the factory - pickup basis is - 420. The downstream has a strong willingness to hold goods at low prices due to seasonal factors. The mid - and upstream inventories are continuously decreasing. Attention should be paid to the commissioning and export sustainability in June. The near - term export orders are acceptable. The PVC comprehensive profit is - 500. Attention should be paid to factors such as exports, coal prices, commercial housing sales, terminal orders, and production starts [12]. 3. Summary by Product Methanol - **Price Data**: From July 1 - 7, 2025, the power coal futures price remained at 801. The Jiangsu spot price decreased from 2520 to 2437, the South China spot price decreased from 2480 to 2448. The import profit decreased from 125 to 58, and the main contract basis decreased from 90 to 25. The MTO profit on the futures market decreased from - 1208 to - 1219 [2]. - **Daily Changes**: The daily changes on July 7 compared to the previous period were 0 for power coal futures, - 18 for Jiangsu spot, - 17 for South China spot, - 10 for Lunan converted to futures price, 0 for Southwest converted to futures price, 0 for Hebei converted to futures price, - 25 for Northwest converted to futures price, 0 for CFR China, 0 for CFR Southeast Asia, 0 for import profit, - 10 for main contract basis, and 0 for MTO profit on the futures market [2]. Plastic (Polyethylene) - **Price Data**: From July 1 - 7, 2025, the Northeast Asian ethylene price remained at 850. The North China LL price fluctuated between 7150 - 7200 and then dropped to 7175 on July 7. The two - oil inventory decreased from 76 to 71, and the warehouse receipts remained at 5831 on July 4 and 7 [7]. - **Daily Changes**: On July 7 compared to the previous period, the changes were 0 for Northeast Asian ethylene, - 25 for North China LL, - 50 for East China LL, - 25 for East China LD, 0 for East China HD, 0 for LL in US dollars, 0 for LL in US Gulf, 0 for import profit, - 35 for the main futures contract, 30 for the basis, 0 for two - oil inventory, and 0 for warehouse receipts [7]. PP (Polypropylene) - **Price Data**: From July 1 - 7, 2025, the Shandong propylene price decreased from 6630 to 6420, the Northeast Asian propylene price remained at 745. The East China PP price decreased from 7060 to 7030, and the two - oil inventory decreased from 76 to 71. The warehouse receipts decreased from 7404 to 7232 [7]. - **Daily Changes**: On July 7 compared to the previous period, the changes were - 130 for Shandong propylene, 0 for Northeast Asian propylene, - 40 for East China PP, - 30 for North China PP, - 50 for Shandong powder, - 10 for East China copolymer, 0 for PP in US dollars, 0 for PP in US Gulf, 0 for export profit, - 21 for the main futures contract, 0 for the basis, 0 for two - oil inventory, and - 60 for warehouse receipts [7]. PVC - **Price Data**: From July 1 - 7, 2025, the Northwest calcium carbide price decreased from 2450 to 2250, the Shandong caustic soda price increased from 802 to 817. The calcium - carbide - based PVC price in East China fluctuated between 4770 - 4850 and then dropped to 4830 on July 7. The import price in US dollars (CFR China) remained at 700, and the export profit remained at 465 from July 3 - 7 [11][12]. - **Daily Changes**: On July 7 compared to the previous period, the changes were - 50 for Northwest calcium carbide, 15 for Shandong caustic soda, - 20 for calcium - carbide - based PVC in East China, 0 for ethylene - based PVC in East China, 0 for calcium - carbide - based PVC in South China, 0 for calcium - carbide - based PVC in the North, 0 for import price in US dollars (CFR China), 0 for export profit, 0 for Northwest comprehensive profit, 0 for North China comprehensive profit, and 0 for the basis (high - end delivery product) [12].