Data: SHFE, DCE market movement (Jun 15)

Today HRC futures held up well, with the most-traded contract settling at 3,397, up 0.68%. In the spot market, spot HRC offers rose 10-20 yuan/mt in many regions, while cold galvanized prices remained largely stable, and overall transaction performance was moderate. In news, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and other authorities issued a notice on launching a three-year campaign to promote energy-saving and carbon-reduction transformation in key industries. Starting from 2026, focusing on nine industries including steel, aluminum, cement, flat glass, oil refining, ethylene, synthetic ammonia, methanol, and coal power, comprehensive transformation will be carried out over three years; attention will be paid to subsequent implementation and progress. Outside China, Pakistan’s prime minister said on the 15th local time that after intensive negotiations, the US and Iran had reached a peace agreement, and Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would be fully opened. On the fundamentals, HRC inventory is expected to continue destocking this week, with limited accumulation of fundamentals. Considering the overall weakening demand during the off-season, steel prices lack self-driving force. In the short term, they are expected to hold up well, following raw material prices. Attention needs to be paid to the changing Middle East situation and its impact on future export orders.

Hoa Phat’s 2025 results marked a major step-up driven by the ramp-up of Dung Quat 2, pushing crude steel output above 11 million tons and lifting earnings through higher volumes and cost dilution despite weak global steel prices. Growth was supported by stronger HRC and downstream sales, a rising export mix, and continued domestic dominance. The year also signals a strategic shift toward higher-value products and future capacity expansion into rail and special steels.

Recently, the central work safety assessment and inspection teams went deep into eight provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) — Hebei, Shanxi, Heilongjiang, Anhui, Hunan, Guangxi, Chongqing, and Xinjiang — to carry out rigorous, thorough, and meticulous open and undercover inspections for Q2 and Q3. They enforced the law with seriousness, resolve, and a hard-line approach, cracking down heavily on all types of illegal and unlawful activities and resolutely preventing and curbing serious and major accidents. The inspection teams headed straight to the sites and conducted in-depth investigations. Any major accident hazards discovered will be referred to provincial Party committees and governments for verification and rectification, accountability tracing, and strict handling. Concurrently, special inspections on regulatory enforcement issues were launched, with strict investigations into illegal and unlawful acts, fraud, and other misconduct in work safety, as well as prominent problems such as corruption and work-style violations in this field.