Some export orders increased, and the operating rates of galvanizing producers rose. [SMM Galvanizing Weekly Review]

SMM April 18th News: This week, the operating rates of galvanising producers recorded 64.34%, up 0.6 percentage points WoW. In terms of raw material inventory, zinc prices continued to pull back this week, but downstream players still held a bearish sentiment, with restocking or inventory consumption driven by rigid demand, leading to a slight drop in zinc ingot inventory. The weekly operating rate increased, mainly due to: in the galvanized pipe sector, although steel prices dropped back slightly this week, affecting shipments, the restocking pace in the end-use market remained steady. As zinc ingot inventory was relatively sufficient earlier, the current production schedule is relatively high, mainly consuming raw material inventory. However, downstream enterprises hold a pessimistic attitude towards future orders and are not optimistic about subsequent demand. In the galvanized structural parts sector: orders from steel tower enterprises remain strong. In terms of exports, although some enterprises had a small number of "rush export" orders during the 90-day tariff buffer period, most enterprises are still executing previous orders, with the overall "rush export" orders increasing limitedly. Some enterprises, worried about the potential shrinkage of future export orders, have started to shift to the domestic market, affecting orders for some enterprises. Next week, the production schedule is expected to pull back slightly, and the operating rate is likely to fluctuate and maintain at 64.14%. 》Order to view SMM metal spot historical prices