During the week ending September 18, import coking coal quotations in China have edged up amid better transaction activities.
Quotations of premium hard coking coal from Australia are at $136/mt CFR China, up $10/mt compared to last week. Hard coking coal prices are at $116/mt CFR, up $11/mt compared to the previous week.
Coke prices in Tangshan are at RMB 1,900/mt ($281/mt) ex-warehouse, remaining stable compared to the previous week, according to SteelOrbis’ data.
During the given week, capacity utilization rates of coking plants have risen slightly, while inventory of coke has been relatively low, reflecting the good levels of demand. Traders in the coke market have been waiting for another round of price increases. However, steelmakers’ profitability has decreased, which may exert a negative impact on coke prices.
As of Friday, September 18, coke futures prices at Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) are at RMB 1,988.5/mt ($294/mt), increasing by RMB 12/mt ($1.8/mt) or 0.6 percent compared to September 11.
$1 = RMB 6.7591
