Favorable Factors: 1. Strip steel prices held steady — cost support remains stable 2. Mills deepening maintenance cuts to defend margins — supply discipline helps hold the price floor Adverse Factors: 1. Summer demand remains sluggish — high temps and rain keep end-user buying thin 2. Inventory keeps building at mills and traders — supply […]
Favorable Factors: 1. Mills cutting output to defend margins — supply discipline supports price floor 2. Raw material prices show signs of stabilization — cost floor prevents further FOB erosion Adverse Factors: 1. Yuan remains soft against USD — weak CNY keeps dragging FOB pricing lower 2. Strip steel prices near recent lows — limited
Favorable Factors: 1. Yuan weakening against USD — widens export pricing room for FOB offers 2. Mills maintaining disciplined output, supply-side not adding pressure Adverse Factors: 1. Raw material prices stay low — cost support weakens, FOB lacks upward momentum 2. Offseason demand — downstream procurement willingness remains general 3. EU quota tariff hikes to
Favorable Factors: 1. US-Iran deal done, Hormuz Strait to reopen — Gulf shipping costs set to drop 2. Strip steel cost pressure easing — raw material prices trending down 3. Middle East reconstruction demand picking up for oil/gas facilities Adverse Factors: 1. CBAM officially in force since Jan 2026 — carbon costs added to EU-bound
Favorable Factors: 1. RMB weakened to 6.70 (buying rate basis) — FOB more competitive for overseas buyers 2. Coke prices still climbing (7th round up) — cost floor holding, strip unlikely to drop Adverse Factors: 1. Summer demand soft — export orders slowing, buyers holding off 2. CBAM expansion to 180+ categories from Jan 2027
Favorable Factors: 1. Coke surging for 5th consecutive round; fundamental cost push driving prices up; steelmakers holding firm on offers as margins compressed 2. Middle East conflict escalating; supply disruption risk supporting steelmaker pricing sentiment Adverse Factors: 1. Iron ore prices weakening; port inventories high and Simandou mine ramping up shipments, undermining cost support 2.
loading=”eager” class=”skip-lazy”> Favorable Factors: 1. Strip steel prices steady at 3,300 CNY/MT; cost floor remains solid 2. RMB exchange rate declined to 6.71; export competitiveness improved 3. Infrastructure pipeline projects driving steady domestic demand 4. Pig iron and coke prices remain elevated; cost support intact 5. Middle East construction projects sustaining overseas inquiry levels Adverse
Favorable Factors: 1. Strip steel rebounded to 3,340 CNY/MT; market sentiment improved after recent dip 2. Government special bond issuance ongoing; 800B CNY fiscal support sustained in Q2 3. Infrastructure projects steady in Middle East and Africa; pipeline demand firm 4. Positive signals from US-China trade talks; export sentiment could benefit 5. Iron ore and
Favorable Factors: 1. Strip steel prices up to 3,395 CNY/MT; cost support strengthening 2. China export orders index returned to expansion at 50.3% in April 3. Middle East supply gap from Iran disruption boosting pipe demand 4. May HRC export plans up 23% MoM to 1.14M MT 5. SE Asia and Africa demand remains firm
Favorable Factors: 1. Tangshan Ruifeng strip steel 685-885mm at CNY 3,285/MT; prices stable WoW 2. RMB/USD rate holding at 6.77-6.82 band; currency volatility limited 3. SE Asia demand sustained; Vietnam and Indonesia procurement active 4. Infrastructure investment continues; national pipeline projects on track 5. Steel mills production discipline; blast furnace capacity utilization stable Adverse Factors: