[SMM Daily Hot-Rolled Coil Trading] On March 18, the total daily trading volume of hot-rolled coil at sample enterprises in SMM’s four cities (Shanghai, Lecong, Tianjin, Ningbo) was 14,430 mt, down 640 mt day on day, or 4.2%, up 14.43% YoY on a calendar basis, and down 26.56% YoY on a lunar calendar basis.

[SMM Daily Hot-Rolled Coil Trading] On March 18, the total daily trading volume of hot-rolled coil among SMM sample enterprises in four cities (Shanghai, Lecong, Tianjin, and Ningbo) was 14,430 mt, down 640 mt day on day, or 4.2%, with up 14.43% YoY on a calendar basis and down 26.56% YoY on a lunar calendar basis.

[SMM Daily Chrome Review: Overseas Ore Prices Continued to Rise, While the Alloy Market Temporarily Remained Stable] March 18, 2026 News: Chrome ore prices continued to rise, while ferrochrome quotations saw no adjustment for the time being...

[SMM Coking Coal and Coke Daily Brief Review] In terms of supply, coking costs increased and losses widened somewhat. At present, coke producers were barely maintaining normal operating rates, while coke production remained temporarily stable. Meanwhile, downstream demand for coke increased, and coke producers' shipments improved somewhat. On the demand side, steel mills were in an active phase of resuming production, while finished steel prices fluctuated upward and steel mill profitability improved somewhat, boosting production enthusiasm and increasing demand for coke. In summary, the fundamentals of coke supply and demand developed in a positive direction, and the coke market may remain generally stable with slight rise in the short term.

Today， DCE iron ore futures were in the doldrums today. The most-traded contract, I2605, finally closed at 811 yuan/mt, down 0.12% from the previous trading session. Spot prices fell by about 2-5 yuan from the previous trading day.

[SMM Tungsten Daily Review: Strong Wait-and-See Sentiment as the Tungsten Market Awaited Stabilization in Transactions] SMM News, March 18 Tungsten market prices were largely stable today, with only minor fluctuations, and the market showed strong wait-and-see sentiment. Trading volume in segments such as tungsten ore and APT was sparse, with transaction prices mostly hovering around the quoted price range. Transactions for downstream products such as powder were also limited, and transaction prices showed a slight downward trend.

HRC futures retreated after a rapid rise today, with the most-traded contract closing at 3,313, up 0.21 for the day. In the spot market, prices in most major markets were generally stable with slight fall. Trading was moderate in the morning session, then weakened afterward. In terms of supply, as the Two Sessions ended, production resumed in north China, and the impact from hot-rolled maintenance declined. The impact from hot-rolled maintenance was 314,900 mt this week, down 99,000 mt WoW. The impact from hot-rolled maintenance next week will be 8.06 mt, down 234,300 mt from this week, and pressure on hot-rolled supply gradually rebounded. On the demand side, end-users resumed normal procurement after the holiday, gradually increasing to seasonal levels. On the raw ....

According to the China Coal Transportation and Distribution Association, in early March, production by key monitored coal enterprises reached 64.44 million mt, with daily average production of 6.44 million mt. The 10-day daily average increased by 380,000 mt, up 6.3% MoM from late February, and by 90,000 mt, up 1.4% YoY.

[SMM Newsflash] According to reports, Jiangsu Tongzhan Precision Machinery Co., Ltd., located in Dayi Town, Yizheng City, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, achieved rapid growth in just three years through transformation and upgrading. Currently, leveraging intelligent production lines, the company’s daily production of household accessories reached 80,000-100,000 units, while daily production of automotive steel pistons reached 8,000-10,000 units. Full automation has been fully implemented, providing solid support for order delivery.

[SHFE Zinc Continued to Decline Today, with Focus on Overseas Rate Decisions and China Social Inventory] The most-traded SHFE zinc 2605 contract opened at 23,470 yuan/mt. After the opening, bulls and bears engaged in fierce competition, and SHFE zinc fluctuated rangebound below the daily average line. During the session, SHFE zinc touched a high of 23,475 yuan/mt and a low of 23,260 yuan/mt, and finally closed down at 23,345 yuan/mt, down 110 yuan/mt, or 0.47%. Trading volume increased to 55,115 lots, and open interest increased by 3,955 lots to 95,164 lots.....