WEEKLY: China's coking coal trade improves, yet outlook remains dim

Buying interest in China's coking coal market rose over July 17-23 as players began contemplating the market implications of tighter mining regulations being planned by government authorities. However, many participants remain cautious about the near-term market, as raw materials demand among steelmakers continues to wane in sync with their slower production, according to Mysteel's latest survey.

A measure of the market mood this week can be seen in the rise in coal futures prices on the Dalian Commodity Exchange. After recording gains over four of the past five trading days this week, the most-traded September coking coal contract on the DCE ended the daytime trading session