ICC News: This month, the needle coke market has turned better. The demand for anode materials is improving. The leading companies are stocking up, and the demand for graphite electrode companies is sluggish and stable. The overall operating rate of the needle coke industry is still low, and most of the coal needle coke enterprises stopped production and sold inventory, and some oil companies stopped operating. The overall price of needle coke in October remained relatively stable. Specifically, coal needle coke was 10,000-11,500 yuan/ton, oil needle coke was 11,000 -13,500 yuan/ton, and the price of coal and oil coke is 7,800-9,500 yuan/ton. In terms of import prices, based on the current global economic downturn, exchange rate fluctuations, market supply and demand, and geopolitical factors, and in order to meet the needs of downstream Chinese needle coke customers, overseas needle coke companies adjust product prices, and coal needle coke Japan is 1200-1250 US dollars/ton, South Korea is 1200-1250 US dollars/ton; in terms of oil needle coke, Japan is 2500-2800 US dollars/ton, the United Kingdom is 1800-2000 US dollars/ton, and the anode coke price is 1000-1500 US dollars/ton.
In terms of production dynamics: this month, the needle coke devices of Ningxia Baichuan New Materials, Henan Shoucheng Technology, and Anshan Zhongte New Materials started construction. Yiwei New Materials and Taiyuan Shenghong plan to begin construction. The project's construction was suspended due to the expansion of the project and it took the opportunity to overhaul it.
In terms of raw materials, the price of medium and low-sulfur oil slurry rose steadily this month. Till the end of the month, the price of medium and low-sulfur oil slurry was around 5,900-6,150/ton, which provided strong support for the price of oil needle coke. This month, the price of mid-temperature asphalt has risen by 150 to 7550-7750 yuan/ton. Some coal needle coke enterprises have turned their production profits upside down, and coal needle coke enterprises are facing serious losses.
In terms of the downstream, the graphite electrode market has been running steadily this month. The price of the mainstream UHP600 in the market has remained stable at 24,000-25,000 yuan/ton. The graphite electrode market is slowly picking up, but the current demand for needles has not been able to play a driving role. The demand for needle coke for graphite electrodes in the fourth quarter will remain light and steady. In terms of anode materials, production and sales were booming this month, and the price of graphite also declined. Anode material companies also had to stockpile raw materials this month, but the acceptance of high-priced raw materials was poor. The anode material market has good support for needle coke. It is expected to remain positive next month.
Overall, This month, supported by the high raw material prices and the positive demand for anode materials, the needle coke market has recovered slightly this month. Some manufacturers have a firm attitude toward stabilizing prices, and some have the intention to raise prices. The price of coke will remain stable in the short term.
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