[SMM Sheets & Plates Daily] Futures and Spot Prices Retreat; Short-Term HRC Prices to Move Sideways

HRC futures prices were in the doldrums today, with the most-traded contract closing at 3,382, up 0.29%. In the spot market, spot HRC prices saw a slight correction in many regions during the day, while cold galvanized prices were largely stable. On the news front, Zhangjiagang HRC inventory this week was 271,000 mt, down 2,000 mt WoW, a 0.73% decline. The pace of inventory decline in Zhangjiagang slowed WoW, with destocking gradually slowing recently due to weakening downstream demand.

From a fundamental perspective, HRC inventory is expected to continue destocking this week. The accumulation of supply-demand imbalance in sheets & plates is limited. The market will likely follow raw material prices to trade sideways this week, awaiting inventory turning to build or a drop in hot metal output to trigger a supply-demand imbalance in raw materials.