[SMM Sheets & Plates Daily Review] HRC Futures Edge Up, October Output Slips; Market Lacks Momentum Amid Weak Demand
Today, HRC futures consolidated lower, with the most-traded HC2701 contract closing at 3,255 yuan/mt, up 0.12% for the day. Most spot markets fluctuated by 10 yuan/mt. On the fundamentals, in terms of supply, according to SMM's latest production schedule survey, the planned HRC commercial output of the 54 steel mills in SMM's expanded sample totaled 17.5645 million mt, down 0.41% from last month's actual production. On a daily average basis, October's daily average HRC commercial production schedule was 566,600 mt, down 3.62% MoM from the actual daily average production. On the demand side, downstream buyers showed no significant restocking after the holiday, with the machinery sector providing moderate support while demand from the automobile and home appliance sectors remained weak overall. Downstream buyers showed low acceptance of high-priced resources, while transactions for low-priced resources were moderate. On the cost side, marginal support weakened. The first round of coke price cuts was implemented during the National Day holiday, and iron ore prices moved lower in tandem. Meanwhile, some steel mills have initiated a second round of coke price cuts, which is expected to be implemented this week. In summary, the HRC market lacks driving forces in the short term, and prices are expected to remain in the doldrums.