WEEKLY: China's coking coal trades red hot on pre-holiday buys

The Chinese coking coal market gained firmer strength during September 22-26, with most coal varieties traded at higher prices due to downstream buyers' active replenishing activities ahead of the country's National Day holiday over October 1-8.

Chinese coke plants and steel mills have been building up their feed coal stocks since mid-September, and their appetite remained quite resilient in the past week. Sources said that this flurry of pre-festival buys appeared more intensive than in previous years, possibly driven by mounting supply concerns stemming from