Research

Forecasts and market analysis based on price assessments from Fastmarkets MB and Fastmarkets AMM

Change font size:   

March 2012 | Steel Raw Materials


Chinese coking coal market still soft but could strengthen in second quarter: Coke and Coking Coal Highlights


Construction activity in the country will resume in earnest and support downstream steel demand.

The coking coal market in northern China is still considered weak owing to limited activity and as a result, prices remained flat and poised to decline this week. So far, prices are stable for now, as buyers pass on volume sales and increased stocks at coke producers provide downside risks to pricing. Buyers are waiting out the market and buying only what they need.

Mainstream hard coking coal prices in Shanxi and Hebei province stood unchanged at Rmb1,500-1,600/tonne ($238-254/tonne) free-on-rail this week. But, as has been the case in recent months, prices for the lower quality grades are softening faster than the higher grades. For example, semi-soft coking coal prices in Shanxi’s Changzhi region dropped by Rmb50/tonne to Rmb1,360/tonne during the week, while coal miners in Shandong were more willing to cut prices to facilitate sales. ...

ACCESS RESTRICTED

You must be a paid subscriber to view the full content.
Content over 60 days old can only be accessed by subscribers.
Call +44(0)20 7779 8000 with your credit card details or subscribe online.


SUBSCRIBE


Receive unlimited access to all current and archive content going back to 2008 including downloadable pricing data and forecasts. Plus download the latest issue as soon as it’s published.

Subscribe


Already subscribed?