[SMM Analysis] Slight Stainless Steel Inventory Destocking Amid Weak Off-Season Demand and Proactive Clearing by Traders SMM, June 11 – This week, stainless steel social inventories extended the previous destocking trend, with total inventory pulling back slightly again. Total inventory in the two core markets of Wuxi and Foshan declined from 940,400 mt on June 4, 2026, to 932,900 mt on June 11, down 0.8% WoW. Under the off-season conditions, inventories continued to show a slight destocking trend. This week, macro headwinds outside China continued to intensify, and SS futures declined in successive sessions, dragging stainless steel spot prices down in tandem. Overall market pessimism deepened. On top of this, the industry formally entered the traditional consumption off-season. Wait-and-see sentiment among downstream end-users stayed high, actual just-in-time procurement was relatively weak, and overall transactions in the spot market remained sluggish. The demand side would have created inventory buildup pressure. However, the supply side and the circulation sector provided a strong offset, effectively neutralizing the inventory accumulation risk caused by weak off-season demand. On one hand, multiple stainless steel mills gradually implemented production cuts and maintenance during the month, leading to downward adjustments in production schedules. On the other hand, the persistent decline in futures heightened industry concerns about the near-term outlook. Traders widely held pessimistic expectations, and the market mainly operated with an approach of proactive selling and reducing their own inventories. Price concessions to clear inventory were common, accelerating the turnover of spot goods in the market. Amid the opposing tug-of-war between supply and demand, stainless steel social inventories pulled back slightly further this week. On the whole, weak just-in-time demand during the off-season and persistently sluggish transactions were potential bearish factors for inventory buildup, while the marginal supply contraction from steel mill maintenance and traders' concentrated proactive inventory clearing were the factors behind this week's ...

Over the next 1-2 weeks, the domestic petroleum coke market is expected to mainly edge lower amid stability. Low-sulphur petroleum coke prices will face relatively greater downward pressure, while mid and high-sulphur petroleum coke may see limited declines due to rigid demand support from the prebaked anode industry. The overall market will remain in the doldrums.

[SMM Stainless Steel Daily Review] Futures’ Stop-Falling Fails to Shift Cautious Sentiment, Stainless Steel Spot Quotes Remain Steady SMM, June 11 - SS futures showed a trend of stopping falling and stabilizing. Supported by the stabilizing SHFE nickel futures, SS stabilized in tandem. As of the midday close, the most-traded SS contract was quoted at 14,380 yuan/mt. In the spot market, although supported by the stabilizing SS futures, overall stainless steel spot quotes remained stable, but spot traders lacked confidence and showed strong willingness to sell, leaving some room for bargaining and resulting in the emergence of some low-priced cargoes. The most-traded SS futures contract saw a pullback after earlier losses. At 10:15 am, SS2607 was at 14,405 yuan/mt, up 10 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. Spot premiums for 304/2B in Wuxi were in the range of 565-1,215 yuan/mt. In the spot market, the average price of Wuxi cold-rolled 201/2B coil was flat; the average price of cold-rolled rough-edge 304/2B coil was flat in Wuxi and flat in Foshan; the price of Wuxi cold-rolled 316L/2B coil fell by 175 yuan/mt; the price of hot-rolled 316L/NO.1 coil in Wuxi fell by 150 yuan/mt; cold-rolled 430/2B coil prices in both Wuxi and Foshan were stable. Stainless steel futures and spot markets experienced heightened volatility, with futures disturbed by macro news from outside China, rising first then falling, and the off-season characteristics of the market fully emerged. The industry has vague expectations for the future market, with a thick wait-and-see sentiment. Transactions saw sporadic recoveries but lacked sustainability, and traders faced rising pressure to sell, mostly boosting transactions by offering discounts. Overall, the market presents a game pattern where macro news disturbs futures, off-season demand weakens, supply marginally adjusts, and inventory stops falling and starts to build up...

DCE iron ore prices strengthened slightly in early trading and rallied at the close today. The most-traded contract I2609 eventually settled at 771.5 yuan/mt, up 1.51% from the previous trading day. Port spot prices rose 5–10 yuan/mt from the day before. Most traders followed market trends, with activity generally moderate; steel mills maintained a strong wait-and-see stance with few inquiries. As of now, spot transaction volumes have been light. Demand side, iron ore demand grew significantly this week. According to SMM’s latest data, the operating rate of surveyed mills rose 0.59% WoW this week to 90.47%, while daily average hot metal output was 2.4597 million mt, up 29,500 mt WoW. Sentiment side, as China’s coal mines gradually resume production, the marginal disruptions from coal and coke are gradually easing, reducing the downward pressure on iron ore prices. Furthermore, market rumors continue to ferment, and expectations of supply contraction are beginning to intensify, providing a floor for iron ore prices. In the near term, iron ore prices are expected to fluctuate after a brief recovery.

[SMM Stainless Steel Daily Review] Stainless Steel Futures Extend Pullback, Spot Market Confidence Weakens SMM, June 10. SS futures are trending lower and probing downside. Dragged further by the overall weakness in nonferrous metals futures, SS futures extended their pullback. As of the midday close, the most-traded SS contract was quoted at 14,410 yuan/mt. In the spot market, affected by the successive declines in SS futures, the support level that the market had originally pinned hopes on at 14,500 yuan/mt was broken, after which market confidence weakened significantly. Traders’ willingness to sell and destock increased notably, low-priced cargoes frequently emerged in the market, buying interest was clearly insufficient, and overall transactions remained mediocre during the day. The most-traded SS futures contract declined and pulled back. At 10:15 am, SS2607 was reported at 14,395 yuan/mt, down 75 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. Spot premiums for 304/2B in Wuxi were in the range of 575-1,225 yuan/mt. In the spot market, the average price for cold-rolled 201/2B coil in Wuxi was flat; for cold-rolled raw-edge 304/2B coil, the average price in Wuxi fell 50 yuan/mt and in Foshan fell 25 yuan/mt; the price of cold-rolled 316L/2B coil in Wuxi was unchanged; for hot-rolled 316L/NO.1 coil, the quotation in Wuxi fell 100 yuan/mt; cold-rolled 430/2B coil prices in both Wuxi and Foshan held steady. Stainless steel futures and spot experienced heightened volatility. The futures were first boosted then weighed down by macro news from outside China, and the off-season characteristics fully emerged. The industry holds vague expectations for the future market, with a strong wait-and-see sentiment. Transactions showed sporadic recoveries lacking sustainability, and selling pressure on traders mounted...

Overall, the secondary lead market will remain in a pattern of "weak cost support and strong consumption suppression" in the short term. Smelter production resumptions in June will find it difficult to fully offset previous cuts, with the supply side showing marginal improvement but remaining tight. Lead prices will continue to fluctuate weakly.