During the week ending September 26, metallurgical coke prices in the Chinese domestic market have continued their stable trend, while transaction activity has remained at decent levels. As of September 26, coke futures contract (1501) offers at Dalian Commodity Exchange closed at RMB 1,061/mt ($172/mt), down $3/mt week on week. Local coke prices in the Chinese domestic market can be viewed in the SteelOrbis price reports section.
Coming close to the National Day Holiday (October 1-7), both buyers and sellers of coke in China have been unwilling to negotiate on prices and so transaction prices have remained at the same levels as in the previous week. Currently, prices of finished steel and iron ore in China are characterized by softness, which exerts a negative impact on the domestic coke market. Meanwhile, coking coal prices have moved sideways, providing a certain amount of support for the stability of coke prices. Looking further ahead, coke production is expected to be restricted in the coming autumn and winter seasons amid anticipated government measures aimed at tackling the serious pollution during those two seasons. It is expected that coke prices in the Chinese domestic market will still follow a stable trend in the week after the National Day Holiday.