1. Coking coal prices in Shandong province, including Weifang, Binzhou, Dezhou, Jining, Zaozhuang, Heze, Rizhao, Tai'an, and Linyi, are planned to increase. Wet-quenched coking coal prices will rise by 50 yuan/ton, and dry-quenched coking coal prices by 55 yuan/ton, effective from 00:00 on March 25th.
2. From March 16th to March 22nd, 2026, Mysteel's global iron ore shipments totaled 31.443 million tons, an increase of 955,000 tons compared to the previous period. Total iron ore shipments from Australia and Brazil reached 25.594 million tons, an increase of 950,000 tons compared to the previous period. Australian shipments totaled 19.957 million tons, an increase of 1.204 million tons compared to the previous period, of which 16.348 million tons were shipped to China, an increase of 476,000 tons compared to the previous period. Brazilian shipments totaled 5.638 million tons, a decrease of 254,000 tons compared to the previous period.
3. According to the China Iron and Steel Association, in mid-March, the social inventory of five major steel products in 21 cities was 11.64 million tons, unchanged from the previous month; an increase of 4.43 million tons from the beginning of the year, up 61.4%; and an increase of 790,000 tons from the same period last year, up 7.3%.
4. According to Mysteel agricultural statistics, as of March 20, the total planned shipment of soybeans to China from Brazilian ports was 8,538,009 tons, slightly lower than the 8,660,012 tons of the previous week, but still the highest level for the same period in recent years.
5. Agricultural consulting firm AgRural said on Monday that as of last Thursday, Brazil's 2025/26 soybean harvest rate was 68%, an increase of 7 percentage points from the previous week. AgRural also stated that as of last Thursday, the second-quarter corn planting rate for 2026 in south-central Brazil was 97%.
6. According to CONAB, the Brazilian National Supply Company under the Ministry of Agriculture, as of March 21, the soybean harvest rate in Brazil was 67.7%, compared to 59.2% last week, 76.4% at the same time last year, and a five-year average of 66.4%.
7. According to an announcement from the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE), effective from the settlement on March 24, 2026 (Tuesday), the daily price fluctuation limit for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) futures contracts PG2604, PG2605, PG2606, PG2607, PG2608, and PG2609 will be adjusted from 11% to 14%, and the trading margin level will be adjusted from 13% to 16%.
8. According to Longzhong Information, as of March 23, 2026, the total inventory of soda ash manufacturers in China was 1.8116 million tons, a decrease of 42,200 tons from the previous Thursday, a drop of 2.28%. Of these, light soda ash production was 946,800 tons, a decrease of 16,300 tons month-on-month, and heavy soda ash production was 864,800 tons, a decrease of 25,900 tons month-on-month.
9. Saudi Aramco lowered its April crude oil supply to Asian buyers. Sources said that Saudi Arabia only supplied long-term customers with Arab Light crude oil exported from Yanbu Port in April.
10. According to the Daily Economic News, market rumors suggest that the pass rate of lithium carbonate in the Guangzhou Futures Exchange's delivery warehouses is only 30%, meaning that a large amount of spot goods prepared for delivery cannot meet the delivery standards. A staff member from the Guangzhou Futures Exchange stated that all lithium carbonate futures delivery goods are inspected and qualified before being stored, and the goods in the warehouse all meet the Guangzhou Futures Exchange's lithium carbonate futures delivery quality standards. Currently, more than 50 brands of lithium carbonate have participated in lithium carbonate futures delivery.
