Report Industry Investment Rating - Not provided in the given content Core Viewpoints - The spot market for steel is weak, with poor trading volume and prices. The futures valuation is neutral, and there is currently no driving force for a spot rebound. The strength of demand during the "Silver October" season is insufficient to support price increases, and there are concerns about a negative feedback loop when demand fails to match high production during the off - season [3]. - The prices of ferrosilicon and silicomanganese are mainly oscillating due to insufficient driving factors. In the short - term, alloy plants have a high motivation to maintain production, but there are medium - term concerns. Terminal demand is weak, and there is a risk of a decline in iron - making and electric - furnace operations, which may impact the demand for these alloys [3]. - The spot market for coking coal and coke remains strong, while the futures market continues to oscillate. Although the furnace material data is good, the market is worried about the inventory pressure of steel, and the medium - term futures market may continue to seek a bottom. In the short - term, the market is expected to be volatile due to the strong spot performance and potential "anti - involution" policies [3]. - There is no obvious driving force for iron ore. The price increase during the holiday was mainly due to unsubstantiated rumors. The supply data has not been significantly affected in the short - term. High iron - making output throughout the year may lead to an oversupply of steel, which may force steel mills to cut production [3]. Summary by Related Catalogs Futures Market - **Prices and Changes**: On October 15, for far - month contracts, RB2605 closed at 3090.00 yuan/ton (down 26.00 yuan, - 0.83%), HC2605 at 3223.00 yuan/ton (down 28.00 yuan, - 0.86%), etc. For near - month contracts, RB2601 closed at 3034.00 yuan/ton (down 26.00 yuan, - 0.85%), HC2601 at 3212.00 yuan/ton (down 28.00 yuan, - 0.86%) [1]. - **Spreads**: On October 15, the RB2601 - 2605 spread was - 56.00 yuan/ton (down 13.00 yuan), HC2601 - 2605 was - 11.00 yuan/ton (down 3.00 yuan), etc. The roll - screw spread was 178.00 yuan/ton (down 2.00 yuan), and the screw - ore ratio was 3.91 (down 0.01) [1]. Spot Market - **Steel**: On October 15, the price of Shanghai rebar was 3180.00 yuan/ton (down 20.00 yuan), Tianjin rebar was 3120.00 yuan/ton (down 10.00 yuan), etc. The price of Shanghai hot - rolled coil was 3270.00 yuan/ton (down 10.00 yuan), Hangzhou hot - rolled coil was 3300.00 yuan/ton (unchanged) [1]. - **Other Materials**: On October 15, the price of Qingdao Port super - special powder was 708.00 yuan/ton (down 15.00 yuan), and the price of Ganjimao Port coking coal was 1260.00 yuan/ton (unchanged) [1]. Strategies - **Steel**: Adopt a wait - and - see approach or an oscillating trading strategy for single - side trading. Observe the opportunity to go long on the 01 - contract roll - screw spread when it is below 150 for arbitrage. Wait for the opportunity to enter a positive - spread trade in the spot - futures market [3]. - **Coking Coal and Coke**: Temporarily adopt a wait - and - see approach for single - side trading [3].

Core Viewpoint - The steel market is experiencing a decline in spot prices, with rebar and hot-rolled coil showing different trends in demand and supply dynamics [1][6]. Supply - Iron and steel production remains high, but there is a slight reduction due to environmental factors during the National Day holiday. The output of the five major steel products remains stable year-on-year, with a total output of 8.63 million tons as of October 8, showing a decrease of 40,000 tons month-on-month [3]. - Rebar production is at 2.03 million tons, down 36,000 tons from the previous month, while hot-rolled coil production is at 3.23 million tons, maintaining a high level [3]. Demand - Rebar demand has decreased year-on-year but shows seasonal improvement month-on-month. The holiday effect has led to a drop in demand by 950,000 tons to 1.46 million tons [4]. - Hot-rolled coil demand has increased year-on-year but remained stable month-on-month, with a holiday-related decline of 340,000 tons to 2.91 million tons [4]. Inventory - Inventory levels for the five major steel products have increased by 1.28 million tons to 16 million tons, with rebar inventory rising by 570,000 tons to 6.6 million tons and hot-rolled coil inventory increasing by 320,000 tons to 4.12 million tons [5]. - Despite the increase in inventory, production levels are expected to remain above demand, leading to a projected year-on-year increase in inventory but a month-on-month decline [5]. Cost and Profit - The cost side shows a slight decline in coal mine operating rates and daily output due to the National Day holiday, with current production levels at historically low levels. Steel profits have significantly decreased from their high levels, with the profit ranking from high to low being billet, hot-rolled coil, rebar, and cold-rolled coil [2]. Market Outlook - Although steel demand is weak, there is cost support in the market. The focus for January contracts for rebar and hot-rolled coil is on support levels around 3,000 and 3,200 respectively [6].