On April 9, 2026, the Japanese Cabinet officially approved the latest amendment to the Waste Disposal and Public Cleansing Act (commonly known as the "Waste Cleansing Act"). The core of the amendment is to upgrade metal recycling operations from a notification system to a permit system, and to impose a new obligation requiring confirmation from the Minister of the Environment for scrap metal exports.

According to POSCO’s Q1 2026 earnings call, the company has introduced its third interim shareholder return policy and shifted from a free-cash-flow-based approach to a more earnings-linked framework. The new policy targets a shareholder return ratio of 35%-40% of adjusted net profit attributable to controlling interests, to be delivered through a mix of cash dividends and share buybacks or cancellations. POSCO said the change is intended to improve payout visibility while balancing growth investment and shareholder returns.

According to POSCO’s Q1 2026 earnings call, the ongoing US-Iran conflict has pushed up FX, oil, LNG, and logistics costs, creating clear pressure on steel margins. The company said that although sales volumes, production, and utilization rates recovered sequentially, raw material sourcing costs remain elevated due to disruptions linked to the Middle East situation, and this cost pressure is expected to continue into the second quarter.

Aperam will invest €10 million to remove a cold-rolling bottleneck at its Timóteo facility in Brazil, targeting a 5% capacity increase by mid-2027. The company also completed the acquisition of Magnetec on April 1, 2026 and created Aperam Magnetic Components, extending its downstream exposure into higher-value magnetic solutions for EVs, energy, and aerospace. The move shows Aperam is continuing to push its stainless and specialty materials chain further into value-added end markets.

Aperam said the improvement in first-quarter performance was driven mainly by seasonal factors and operational efficiency rather than any fundamental recovery in end-market demand. The company noted that construction demand in Europe has still not recovered, while consumer goods and automotive remain under pressure, and Brazil was in its seasonally weakest quarter. This suggests the latest earnings rebound in Europe’s stainless market remains more cyclical than structural for now.

Aperam’s shipments rose 11% quarter on quarter to 617 kilotons in Q1 2026, mainly driven by seasonal recovery in Europe. Sales increased 16% to €1.575 billion. The company also said operating income swung to a profit of €34 million from a loss of €29 million in the previous quarter, supported by better utilization and favorable valuation effects.

Aperam reported adjusted EBITDA of €90 million in the first quarter of 2026, up 34% from the previous quarter, which the company described as its strongest opening quarter in three years. The result came despite continued headwinds from geopolitical instability and energy price volatility across its European and South American markets.

Scrap tightening and a major nickel-cobalt producer's output cut pushed SHFE stainless steel to levels not seen since 2023 — yet physical demand remains conspicuously absent heading into the May Day break

Cost Support & Fundamental Improvement: Hot-Rolled Coil Prices Continued to Strengthen in April As of April 30, the most-traded hot-rolled coil futures contract closed at 3,425 points, up 131 points MoM from March 31. In April, SMM's national average spot price for hot-rolled coil was 3,321.78 yuan/mt, up 54.91 yuan/mt MoM (1.68%). HRC prices continued to rise in April, mainly due to relatively stable cost support. Additionally, since the start of April, on one hand, semi-finished products export orders were robust, with some steel mills prioritizing delivery of semi-finished product orders, thereby easing supply pressure in the HRC market; on the other hand, amid the peak season, HRC demand release was strong, driving rapid HRC inventory drawdown and significantly easing supply-demand imbalances. Before mid-May, HRC prices are expected to continue fluctuating at highs; in late May, attention turns to export support and the extent of demand pullback Fundamentals, few new maintenance shutdowns have been announced so far, and May HRC production is expected to rebound MoM. However, considering that some steel mills are still actively delivering earlier semi-finished product and HRC export orders, the supply rebound pressure is expected to be manageable. Demand side, the average apparent demand for HRC tracked by SMM in April was 3.3961 million mt, up 7.52% MoM and down 2.19% YoY. Since the start of April, HRC demand climbed rapidly, mainly driven by a simultaneous rebound in export orders and domestic downstream demand in China. For May, historically apparent demand for the five major steel products tends to peak and pull back around Labour Day holiday. Combined with weakening domestic trade demand in some downstream industries, further upside room for May HRC demand is expected to be limited, with overall demand likely edging down slightly MoM from April, and apparent demand levels falling below the same period last year. In the short term, downstream restocking demand expectations remain after the Labour Day holiday, coupled with expectations of a third round of coke price increases, and HRC prices are expected to fluctuate at highs for 1–2 weeks after the holiday. From mid-to-late May, steel demand faces challenges as the traditional peak season winds down, and the steel supply-demand imbalance may widen MoM, limiting further upside room for steel prices. Other aspects, attention should be paid to export order support and the extent of domestic demand pullback.

Today, the DCE Iron ore futures strengthened today, with the most-traded contract I2609 closing at 796 yuan/mt, up 1.60% from the previous trading session. Spot prices rose 2-5 from the previous day. Traders showed moderate enthusiasm in quoting, while steel mills restocked on an as-needed basis with limited inquiries