China imports record volume of iron ore in March
April 17, 2009
April 14 (Xinhua) — China’s steel industry overestimated the country’s demand for iron ore and as a result imported a record high amount of the material in March.
A surge of domestic steel output and price increases in the beginning of 2009 raised market expectations. Many domestic steel mills and traders increased orders for iron ore in February and March as they anticipated demand would continue growing, said Liang Shuhe, deputy-director with the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce (MOC), at an industry conference in the port city of Tianjin Monday.
China’s iron ore imports topped 52.08 million tonnes in March, setting a monthly record high. It beat the last record which was just set in February. That’s when the country imported 46.74 million tonnes of iron ore.
In the first quarter, China imported a total of 130 million tonnes of iron ore. In 2008, iron ore imports totaled 440 million tonnes.
“The imports in March mostly came from orders made in February. Iron ore was priced at 80 U.S. dollars a tonne then, but dwindled to 60 U.S. dollars a tonne now. It means huge unrealized losses for steel mills and traders who betted on price hikes,” said Du Wei, an analyst on iron ore with Umetal.com.
Those unrealized losses for the 52.08 million tonnes of iron ore imported in March could be about 1 billion U.S. dollars, Du said.
Liang said iron ore prices were hinged to steel prices.
“Domestic steel prices have dropped and will further dwindle. Thus it’s inevitable for iron ore prices to go down,” Liang said.
Iron ore stockpiled at ports stood at 70 million tonnes in March, nearing a historic high, according to anonymous sources within the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals and Chemicals Importers and Exporters.
Due to declining iron ore prices, an increasing number of domestic iron ore mines are closing down, said Zhang Ye, deputy-general-manager of China National Minerals Co., Ltd.. No specific figures were available.
“About 90 percent of China’s iron ore mines are suffering from losses,” Du said. “Steel is a kind of product that could be recycled and thus its scarcity could not be exacerbated in the long term.”
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China Likely to Launch Steel Product
January 30, 2009
China is likely to launch steel products futures trading this March on the Shanghai Futures Exchange, with linear steel and threaded steel to be the first futures varieties, according to an insider.
The introduction of steels futures will help enterprises prevent price risks through hedging and is helpful to restructuring of the domestic steel industry.
Also, it will help change China’s passive status in international iron ore negotiations. China may gradually gain some pricing power on the international steel market.
The source also said futures products of major building materials such as linear steel and threaded steel surely would come out earlier than rice futures.
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The Steel Revitalization Plans in China
January 29, 2009
It is reported that the State Council has worked out the steel revitalization plans, which focus on controlling the whole volume, washing out the obsolete capacity and encouraging technical innovation and merger & acquisition to bail out the slumping domestic steel industry.
Mr Wang Yifang Board chairman of Hebei Steel Group said even though the released plan has not cover detailed regulations, it will provides timely help for the development of the steel enterprises in Hebei province, the largest steel production base in China. To the large-sized steel mills, the plan means low cost expansion.
As one of the largest steel complexes in China, Hebei Steel Group has enhanced its place in steel industry since it was founded, and became the national major supportive enterprise.
As per local steel assistance plan, total crude steel capacity would be controlled within 80 million tons by 2020. In order to realize the goal, the province has to concentrate the quality steel resources by promoting the progress of M&As. Most experts believe that the steel revitalization policy will lay a solid floor for the further development of Hebei steel industry.
According to the plan special funds will be allocated from the central budget to encourage technological advancement of the sector, readjustment of products mix and improvements of product quality
As one of the pillar industries in Hebei province, the steel industry contributes more than 25% of the provincial total industrial profits in recent years. However, it still lacks of competitiveness since most local produced products are primary one, with few high value-added and high-tech contained products.
The local government should draw some supportive policies in line with the steel revitalization plan to encourage the technologic innovation. Only in this way, can Hebei province form high quality vanadium and titanium, construction steel and slabs production lines with high value added products, and end the extensive develop pattern in local steel industry.
Source: China Steel net.com
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Baosteel Has Worked Out The New Price Policy
January 1, 2009
Baosteel has worked out the new price policy for the first quarter or January in 2009 and informed its distributors gradually. In this price adjustment, increase, drop and unchangeness are all witnessed, by which Baosteel aims to reduce high EXW prices in accordance to market developments and relieve dealers’ pressure while at the same time stabilizing market prices and boosting market confidence.
On the basis of its December steel prices, Baosteel decided to uplift hot-rolled pickled plate prices by RMB200/ton, maintain prices of common cold-rolled products, hot-dip galvanized steel and electro-galvanized steel, and lower HRC prices by RMB700/ton which are still higher than current market prices after the change. Other high value-added steel products like electric steel and steel pipe see price declines ranging from RMB500/ton to RMB1,000/ton, as Baosteel didn’t make large downward adjustment for them previously.
Baosteel’s price policy is considered to be a wind vane for the steel industry all the time. This new price policy for the beginning of next year indicated Baosteel’s intension to stabilize steel prices in China’s domestic market, believe of many insiders.
Source: China Steel Net.com
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China’s largest steel maker is being created
January 1, 2009
Three Chinese steel companies — Tangshan Iron and Steel Co, Handan Iron and Steel Group and Chengde Xinin Vanadium and Titanium Co — agreed on Tuesday to merge, creating the biggest listed steel maker in China.
The three Hebei-based companies were all listed companies under Hebei Iron and Steel Group. The new entity will be the only listed company of the group after the merger.
Annual production of raw steel will be about 32 million tonnes, which will be more than Baosteel’s 30 million tonnes.
Tangshan will merge with the two smaller firms through share swaps. One Handan share will be swapped for 0.775 Tangshan share and one Chengdu share for 1.089 Tangshang shares, according to the agreement.
Handan and Chengde would cease to exist as separate legal entities and their assets, debts, businesses and staff would go to Tangshan, analysts said.
Tangshan said the new company would be the only target of any asset injection by the parent company and thus the only beneficiary.
Hu Yanping, steel analyst with Umetal.com, said the merger would not increase the new company’s profitability in the short term, although its production capacity would be the largest in China.
“The move will enhance steel industry restructuring, which will cushion the blow [against the industry] as the financial crisis has hurt economic growth.”
The plan still needs shareholder and regulatory approval.
Shares of the three companies had been suspended since August 28. Trading resumed on Tuesday.
Tangshan fell by the daily limit of 10 percent to 4.10 yuan (about 58 US cents) from the previous trading day. Handan fell 8.78 percent to 3.43 yuan and Chengde fell by the daily limit to 4.95 yuan.
Tags: hebei, steel maker, productionRelated Posts:
