Core Viewpoints - The coal sector has experienced a high-level retreat in the first two months of 2025, underperforming the market by 11.8 percentage points, ranking last among all industry indices [4][14]. - The coal price is expected to stabilize and gradually recover due to improved industrial demand, slowing production growth, and reduced import expectations [4][29]. Group 1: Coal Sector Review - In the first two months of 2025, the coal sector has declined by 10.0%, ranking 30th out of 30 in the industry indices [4][14]. - The sub-sectors of thermal coal, coking coal, and coke have seen respective declines of 15.5%, 11.4%, and 7.4% in the first two months [14]. - As of March 18, 2025, the coal sector's price-to-earnings (PE) ratio is at 10.4 times, which is at a historical average level, while the price-to-book (PB) ratio is at 1.33 times, also at a historical average [19][23]. Group 2: Coal Market Review - The growth rate of electricity consumption has dropped to 1.3% in the first two months, while non-electric demand has shown overall improvement [4][29]. - Domestic coal prices have been weak since the beginning of the year, with thermal coal prices stabilizing in March [29]. - The import growth rate of coal has decreased to 1.8% in the first two months of 2025 [4][29]. Group 3: Recent Market Dynamics - Port thermal coal prices have slightly declined, while prices in production areas have generally rebounded [4][29]. - The price of thermal coal is expected to stabilize in the short term due to inventory reductions at southern ports and coastal power plants [4][29]. - Coking coal prices have continued to decline, but demand is expected to improve as the spring construction season approaches [4][29]. Group 4: Industry Outlook - The coal price is expected to find support at the bottom, with the sector's valuation and dividend advantages becoming more pronounced [4][29]. - The anticipated average coal price for 2025 may decline, but leading companies are expected to maintain stable profitability due to effective cost control [4][29]. - Key companies with robust dividends include Shaanxi Coal and China Shenhua, while companies with lower valuations and long-term growth potential include Xinji Energy and Yanzhou Coal [4][29].