With mounting concerns about the availability of commercial material, prices for coking coal have continued to rise. In particular, the latest bid for a February cargo of premium mid-volatility hard coking coal (HCCA) has increased to $400/mt FOB Australia compared to $390/mt FOB Australia previously. However according to sources, still no offers have emerged.
Meanwhile, the price for ex-Russia hard coking coal with 10 percent ash content has increased by $15/mt over the past week to $260/mt CFR China. Meanwhile, ex-Russia low-volatility PCI is said to have been traded at $290/mt CFR China this week. Given the current circumstances, the price is expected to rise further, to $300/mt CFR.
Meanwhile, ex-Russia premium anthracite was sold this week at $240/mt CFR China, rising strongly from $170-180/mt CFR in the past fortnight, SteelOrbis has learned.
In the futures market in China, in turn, prices of coking coal and coke have retreated on January 13, following a strong increase previously. Specifically, the price for hard coking coal in the most-traded contract on China’s Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) declined by 1.95 percent on the day in question to RMB 2,304.5/mt ($362.5/mt). Meanwhile, coke futures prices have moved down to RMB 3,106/mt ($488.5/mt), declining by 2.36 percent compared to the previous day.