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  [SMM Steel Market Morning Briefing] Preview: The People's Bank of China, China Securities Regulatory Commission, and other departments will make announcements at 9 a.m. on the 7th, introducing the situation regarding the "package of financial policies to s

  Preview: The People's Bank of China, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and other departments will make announcements at 9 a.m. on the 7th, introducing the relevant situation of "a package of financial policies to support market stability and stabilize expectations.

• [SMM Steel Morning Meeting Summary] Both Supply and Demand Are Weak, Showing a Sluggish Trend; Prices Remain in the Doldrums, Difficult to Change

  [SMM Steel Morning Meeting Summary] From a fundamental perspective, on the supply side, blast furnace steel mills still have profit margins in producing construction materials, and their willingness to produce remains moderate, maintaining normal production levels. EAF steel mills are facing greater difficulties in collecting scrap, with some electric furnace plants halting operations. Overall, the supply pressure for construction materials is not significant. On the demand side, during the Labour Day holiday, cargo transportation was hindered, and construction activities in some regions were temporarily suspended. This was followed by rain and flood conditions in south China, further impeding construction progress at construction sites. Overall demand performance has been average. During the holiday, the pace of downstream purchases slowed down, and inventory levels in some regions increased slightly. Overall, the fundamentals indicate a situation of weak supply and demand, with slightly insufficient market confidence and cautious operations. It is expected that steel prices will remain in the doldrums in the short term. Going forward, it is necessary to closely monitor changes in the macroeconomic environment and downstream demand.

• Overall inventory buildup during the holiday is controllable, and domestic aluminum inventory will face a "critical period" after the holiday.[SMM Analysis]

  So, what was the actual situation of domestic aluminum ingot arrivals during the Labour Day holiday? According to SMM's latest statistics, the actual arrivals in the three regions during the holiday were approximately 56,000 mt, about 16,000 mt less than pre-holiday expectations and about 6,000 mt less than the same period last year. Specifically, the actual arrivals in Wuxi were 18,000 mt, in Foshan were 18,000 mt, and in Gongyi were approximately 20,000 mt, all lower than expected.

• Overall Inventory Buildup During Holiday Period Is Controllable; Domestic Aluminum Inventory to Reach "Critical Period" After Holiday {{SMM Analysis}}

  Despite the projections based on in-transit data and feedback from multiple sources before the Labour Day holiday that domestic aluminum product arrivals during this year's Labour Day holiday would likely exceed those of the same period last year, attention should be paid to the risk of periodic inventory buildup caused by concentrated arrivals during the holiday. Looking back at the pre-holiday expectations, the Gongyi and Foshan regions were expected to face relatively severe pressure from concentrated arrivals after the holiday, while the Wuxi region would experience relatively milder pressure. So, what was the actual situation of domestic aluminum ingot arrivals during the Labour Day holiday? According to the latest statistics from SMM, the actual arrivals in the three regions during the Labour Day holiday amounted to approximately...

• Alumina prices pulled back significantly, with the cost of aluminum down 3.7% MoM in April. [SMM Analysis]

  According to SMM data, the average tax-inclusive full cost of China's aluminum industry was 16,386 yuan/mt in April 2025, down 3.7% MoM and 0.9% YoY, primarily due to a significant pullback in alumina prices during the period. SMM data showed that the monthly average SMM Alumina Index was 2,954.95 yuan/mt during the period (March 26-April 25), down 10.62% MoM. The average spot price of SMM A00 aluminum was approximately 20,074 yuan/mt in April 2025 (March 26-April 25), with the domestic aluminum industry achieving an average profit of about 3,688 yuan/mt.