This week's highlights in Asia on Platts Market Movers, with S&P Global Platts Quality and Digital Editor Nurul Indriani Darni: Top negotiators from the US and China will meet in Shanghai this week to cover issues including non-tariff barriers, agriculture, and intellectual property, summer heatwave across northeast Asia boosts power generation for coal plants, Asian paraxylene market eyes the August Asian Contract Price Settlement, and seaborne thermal coal grapples with uncertainty over further Chinese import curbs.
This week: Summer heatwave across northeast Asia boosts power generation for coal plants, Asian paraxylene market eyes the August Asian Contract Price Settlement, and seaborne thermal coal grapples with uncertainty over further Chinese import curbs.
But first, top US and Chinese negotiators will meet in Shanghai on Tuesday and Wednesday to cover issues including non-tariff barriers, agriculture, trade deficit, intellectual property, forced technology transfer and how any deal is enforced. Washington has recently announced plans to exempt 110 items of Chinese industrial products from additional tariffs and expressed willingness to encourage US companies to continue supplies to Chinese enterprises. Chinese enterprises, on the other hand, have inquired for US agriculture products and applied for tariffs waivers from Beijing.
So this leads us to our social media question this week: Will the Shanghai meeting between the US and China offer a glimmer of hope for an end to their year-long trade dispute? Share your thoughts with the hashtag PlattsMM.
Meanwhile, a summer heatwave across northeast Asia has driven power generation for coal plants to a higher level, resulting in more coal burn in China, Japan and South Korea. High temperatures are forecast to continue into the week. If they cause a sustained period of strong coal consumption, Asian power companies may return to the spot market to replenish their stockpiles of thermal coal.
Newcastle 6,000 kcal/kg NAR thermal coal prices may be set for a rebound this week after sinking back to $70/mt FOB.
Still on coal, seaborne traders are still grappling with uncertainty over further Chinese import curbs, despite small pockets of Chinese seaborne demand expected this week, due to warmer weather and higher daily consumption.
Moving on to petrochemicals, Asian paraxylene players will be eyeing the August Asian Contract Price settlement this week. The last major settlement was seen way back in March. Term contract prices in Asia use a discount to the average of 50% of the ACP value and 50% of the monthly Platts CFR Taiwan/China spot marker average as benchmark. In the event of a non-settlement, the formula converts to 100% spot pricing.
That's it for this week. Thanks for kicking off your Monday with us. Have a great week ahead!