According to SMM statistics, mill inventory and social inventory showed slight divergence this period, as production cuts at steel mills led to a slight decrease in mill inventory, while social inventory continued to build up. Total building materials inventory was 8.4734 million mt, up 35,500 mt MoM (+0.42%), and the pace of inventory buildup further slowed.

As of July 21, the operating rate among 50 EAF steel mills mainly producing construction steel nationwide was 36.62%, up 0.04 percentage point WoW; the capacity utilization rate was 36.50%, down 0.06 percentage point WoW; daily average production of construction steel stood at 81,300 mt, down 100 mt WoW.

According to SMM statistics, both mill inventories and social inventories saw inventory buildup to varying degrees. Total construction steel inventories reached 8.4379 million mt, up 41,800 mt WoW, or up 0.50% WoW, with the pace of inventory buildup continuing to slow.

[SMM Survey: Central China Wire Rod Weekly Survey: Rebar and Wire Rod Production Increases, Next Week's Performance to Diverge] During the survey period (July 14 - July 20), the operating rate of rebar and wire rod in the Central China region remained stable, while the capacity utilization rate edged up.

This week, the ferrous metals sector rebounded slightly overall, with divergence among products: iron ore and hot-rolled coil/rebar performed relatively strong, while coke was relatively weak. Early in the week, affected by sluggish end-use consumption in the off-season and continued pressure on steel mill profits, futures for all products consolidated and weakened; mid-week, driven by the combined effects of rumors of a BHP worker strike, the repeated US-Iran geopolitical conflicts, and rising expectations of environmental protection-driven production restrictions in Tangshan, iron ore and hot-rolled coil/rebar spot and futures prices saw a period of stabilization and rebound. However, from a fundamental perspective, the off-season characteristics on the demand side remained......

This week, finished steel rebounded slightly after consolidating at lows, while coking coal and coke showed overall satisfactory performance. At the start of the week, with no significant changes in fundamentals or news, ferrous metals continued to consolidate at lows; in the second half, market rumors emerged that BHP’s union announced a work stoppage action. Expectations of short-term supply tightness from the potential stoppage, combined with rising energy costs due to Middle East conflicts, drove a rebound in iron ore prices, which in turn lifted ferrous metals; online auctions for coking coal showed mixed results...