DAILY: Disputes over China's met coke price hikes set to escalate

Fierce bargaining over potential price hikes is set to grip China's metallurgical coke market, with supportive catalysts squaring off against deeply entrenched headwinds. The tug-of-war is likely to keep prices firm in the near term, rather than trigger an immediate rally.

On August 13, Mysteel Coke Index (MCI) CDQ, which tracks China's national dry-quenched quasi-first-grade met coke prices, held steady from the last session at Yuan 1,838.7/tonne ($272.7/t), while the MCI CWQ for wet-quenched quasi-first-grade met coke also stood flat at Yuan 1,695/t. The sharp uptick in coking coal costs on