The Coal Trader

Category: Met Coal

Flurry of Deals Push Met Market Higher

Australian coking coal prices are continuing their upward momentum, driven by some (finally!) robust trading activity and slightly improving market sentiment. The physical market has now seen multiple deals concluded at prices above previous index levels, while futures prices on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) are also moving up in concert…

Coal Stocks Rip, Time to Flip?

A quick rundown of the post-China stimulus rip in coal stocks, and how to think about positioning using some advice from our Substack and Twitter friend Le Shrub…

US Proceeds with Section 301 Tariffs on Chinese Commodities

The United States is moving forward with Section 301 tariffs on a range of Chinese commodity imports, including steel, aluminum, lithium-ion batteries, and other critical minerals, as announced by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on September 13, 2024…

Coal Mining Coal News Hot Rolled Coil HRC Steel

India Steel Producer RINL Faces Challenges Amid Coking Coal Shortage at Vizag Plant

State-owned steelmaker Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd. (RINL) has been forced to shut down its blast furnace 3 at the Vishakhapatnam (Vizag) plant due to a coking coal shortage caused by a workers’ protest at the Gangavaram port. The shutdown, which occurred on 12 September, leaves RINL with only one operational blast furnace out of three at its 7.3 million tonne per year (t/yr) capacity plant, though no official announcement has been made by the company…

India’s DRI Production Growth Outpaces Crude Steel, But Coal Reliance Remains

India’s production of direct reduced iron (DRI), also known as sponge iron, has seen substantial growth, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8 percent over the last five years. DRI output rose to 51.5 metric tonnes (MT) in fiscal 2024, up from 34.7 MT in fiscal 2019, significantly outpacing the 5 percent growth in crude steel production during the same period, according to a recent report…