【SMM Steel】South Korea starts AD investigation on China's steel bars and rods

Today, the DCE Iron ore futures rose first then retreated. The most-traded contract I2609 closed at 822.5 yuan/mt, up 0.73% from the previous trading session. Port spot prices rose 3-5 yuan from the previous day. Traders were active in offering quotes with strong willingness to close deals; steel mills showed moderate willingness to inquire for purchases, with most transactions driven by rigid restocking demand; the overall spot trading atmosphere remained subdued.

Dong Lijuan, Chief Statistician of the Urban Division of the NBS, interpreted the April 2026 PPI data. On a MoM basis, the national PPI rose 1.7% MoM, with the increase expanding by 0.7 percentage points from the previous month. A key feature of the monthly PPI movement was that international input factors drove up prices in China's petroleum-related industries. The rise in international crude oil prices drove up prices in China's petroleum-related industries. Specifically, prices in the oil and natural gas extraction industry were up 18.5% MoM, the petroleum, coal, and other fuel processing industry up 16.4%, the chemical raw material and chemical product manufacturing industry up 8.3%, the chemical fiber manufacturing industry up 5.6%, and the rubber and plastic products industry up 1.7%

【SMM Steel】The US Court of International Trade ruled Trump's 10% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 is illegal. The court rejected the administration's argument that "balance-of-payments deficits" equals a trade deficit. The injunction applies only to the plaintiffs (two small businesses and Washington state). The DOJ filed an appeal on May 8. The ruling does not affect Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs on national security grounds.