Steel Prices Surge: Supply Crunch, Demand Push and Outlook for India's Ferrous Market Mr Hemant Dewangan, GM & PIC, BigMint, in conversation with @ETNOWlive, discussed the factors driving India's steel prices to a four-year high, the supply-demand imbalance in the domestic market, the outlook for further price gains, and the impact on steel-consuming industries. #BigMint #SteelPrices #SteelIndustry

India: DAM electricity prices more than double in Sep26 as demand surges India's Day-Ahead Market (DAM) tightened dramatically during the first 20 days of September 2026 compared with the same period last year, with electricity purchase bids surging more than fivefold while sell-side availability contracted sharply. Despite the enormous increase in buying interest, scheduled DAM volumes actually declined y-o-y. The result was a steep escalation in prices, with average Market Clearing Price (MCP) more than doubling.

Why Indian ferro alloys industry faces bigger challenge than steel under CBAM - BigMint report The discussion around the European Unions Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has largely centred on steel, aluminium and cement. However, for the ferro alloys industry, the implications may be equally profound - if not more complex. Embedded ferro alloys emissions are counted twice - as a directly covered product as well as a precursor to steel - leading to a bigger exposure to CBAM than steel.

China's steel industry weakens further in Aug'26 as domestic demand remains under pressure China's steel industry remained under pressure in August 2026, despite stronger growth in overall industrial production. Industrial value added rose 5.2% y-o-y in August, accelerating from July, but crude steel output fell 3.7% y-o-y to 74.6 million tonnes (mnt). Finished steel production declined 5.5%, widening the contraction from July, as weak domestic demand and poor mill profitability continued to weigh on output.

BigMint's India steel index rises to over 4-year high on strong demand amid declining inventories BigMint's India steel composite index increased by 2.5% w-o-w on 18 September 2026, extending its rally for the ninth consecutive week and reaching its highest level in more than four years. The index edged higher as prices strengthened across both long and flat steel segments, supported by lean inventories, improving post-monsoon demand, and continued supply discipline adopted by the major mills.

India’s Ferro Alloy Industry: Manganese Ore Imports, Mine Operationalisation and Steel Demand Mr Dhruv Goel, CEO, BigMint, in conversation with @ETNOWlive, discussed India’s ferro-alloy industry, manganese ore supply and import dependence, challenges in operationalising auctioned mines, and the outlook for domestic steel consumption and ferro-alloy demand. #BigMint #ferroalloy #steelindustry

India: August steel capacity approvals slow after July surge; FY'27 pipeline reaches 20.8 mnt India's crude steel capacity approvals slowed to 1.60 million tonnes per annum (mntpa) in August after peaking at 7.53 million tonnes (mnt) in July, taking cumulative approvals during April-August FY'27 to 20.77 mnt across the environmental clearance (EC) and consent-to-establish (CTE) stages, according to BigMint data. While the monthly pace moderated following July's large project approvals, the cumulative pipeline indicates that steelmakers continue advancing expansion plans despite subdued global steel market conditions.

India's iron ore production rises by 20% y-o-y in Jan-Aug'26; merchant miners continue to drive growth India's iron ore production increased 19% y-o-y to 230 million tonnes (mnt) in January-August 2026 (8MCY'26), according to provisional data with BigMint. Production growth was concentrated in Odisha (+13%), Chhattisgarh (+25%), and Maharashtra (+179%). The increase was largely driven by higher output from NMDC, Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC), and Lloyds Metals and Energy, while captive producers' growth remained uneven.

India’s Iron Ore Imports Rise Despite Higher Domestic Production Ms Nishtha Mukerjee Sinha, GM PIC (Iron ore, ferro alloys, coal and logistics), BigMint, in conversation with ET Now, discussed India’s iron ore imports, which reached 2.2 Mn t in August 2026 , supported by monsoon-related domestic supply disruptions, lower global prices and strong demand for high-grade ore. BigMint projects FY27 imports at around 15 Mnt, up from nearly 13 Mn t in FY26.

China's crude steel production may decline around 2% y-o-y to 940 mnt in 2026 - BigMint projection China produced 499.9 million tonnes (mnt) of crude steel during the first half of 2026, down 3% y-o-y from 515 mnt in the corresponding period last year, according to BigMint data. Output is projected at around 440 mnt during H2, taking full-year production to approximately 940 mnt compared with 961 mnt in 2025. The moderation extends the gradual adjustment in China's steel industry since output exceeded 1.03 billion tonnes (bnt) in 2021.

China's HRC and rebar prices diverged through August as resilient manufacturing demand, higher raw material costs and tighter supply supported flat steel, while weak construction activity continued to weigh on long products. Average HRC prices edged down marginally to around 3,361 yuan/t in August from 3,369 yuan/t in July before rebounding in early September, whereas average rebar prices fell to about 3,051 yuan/t from 3,104 yuan/t over the same period. The divergence reflects the increasingly different demand drivers shaping China's flat and long steel markets, as manufacturing continues to support flat steel demand, while construction continues to determine the outlook for long products.

BigMint's India steel index rises to 2.5-year high on restocking demand, coking coal surge BigMint's India steel composite index increased by 1.6% w-o-w on 11 September 2026, rising for the eighth consecutive week to a two-and-a-half-year high. These price levels were last witnessed in April 2023. The uptick reflects firm sentiments across both long and flat steel segments on improving post-monsoon demand, high raw material costs, low trader- and mill-level inventories, and sustained mill pricing discipline.

South African non-coking coal exports may rise to 67-70 mnt in CY'26 - BigMint projections South Africa's non-coking coal exports are on track to reach 67-70 million tonnes (mnt) in CY'26, up from 66 mnt in CY'25, according to BigMint's projections. Improving rail performance and gas-to-coal switching have enabled exporters to boost shipments to a wider group of Asian buyers even as Indian demand remained weak.

Why Are India’s HRC Prices Rising So Fast? Indian HRC prices have surged to around ₹62,000/tonne, reaching a four-year high. But what’s behind the rally? Rising raw material costs, tighter supply, improving demand, lower imports and stronger exports are reshaping India’s steel market. We break down the key drivers and assess whether the ₹62,000 level can hold. #commoditymarket #HRCPrices #SteelPrices #steelmarket #steelindustry #SteelSupply #BigMint

India's iron ore exports fall to 1-year low in Aug'26, but pellet shipments climb to over 2-year high India's total iron ore and pellet exports rose 8% m-o-m to 2.15 million tonnes (mnt) in August 2026, supported by a sharp increase in pellet shipments even as iron ore exports continued to decline. Iron ore exports declined 8% m-o-m to 1.13 mnt, the lowest since August 2025, while pellet exports rose 29% m-o-m to 1.01 mnt, the highest since February 2024, according to BigMint data.

India: Met coke prices surge to multi-year highs as domestic supply shrinks and imports tighten India's met coke market continued its sharp uptrend in the week ended 10 September, supported by tightening availability, elevated imported coke replacement costs and a sharp rise in coking coal prices.

China's coking coal imports from Mongolia may surge up to 95 mnt by 2027 China's coking coal imports from Mongolia -- its largest supplier -- are expected to surge to 82-95 million tonnes by 2027, representing robust growth of 41.7-58.3% from the 2025 level, according to Mysteel's latest forecast report.

Global iron ore exports rise 3% y-o-y in Jan-Jul'26 despite China's crude steel output decline Global iron ore exports rose 3% y-o-y to 948 million tonnes (mnt) in January-July 2026 (7MCY'26), according to BigMint data, despite global crude steel production declining 0.6% y-o-y during the period. The increase reflects continued growth in mine supply and higher Chinese procurement, even as steel output in the world's largest iron ore-consuming market weakened.

India's iron ore and pellet imports climb to 11-year high in Aug'26 - BigMint analysis India's iron ore and pellet imports climbed to an 11-year high in August 2026, reaching 2.22 mnt, according to provisional data maintained by BigMint. The sharp increase was driven by a combination of domestic supply disruptions, lower global iron ore prices, and strong demand for higher-grade raw materials from domestic steelmakers.

Global steel prices diverge in Aug'26 as regional supply, raw material trends shape market dynamics Global steel markets moved in different directions during August as finished steel prices increasingly diverged from raw material trends. Chinese iron ore prices extended their decline on weak steel mill margins and abundant seaborne supply, while metallurgical coal strengthened after tightening supplies in China, Russia and Mongolia revived seaborne buying. Finished steel prices, meanwhile, remained comparatively resilient. Indian HRC strengthened into Europe, Turkish long steel recovered, and Chinese HRC export prices slipped only marginally despite subdued overseas demand.