Steel prices tumble to near 6.30 as monsoon arrives, China issues state infrastructure fund

• Steel prices have slipped to near 6.30 as investors weigh demand worries on monsoon arrival.
• The hard metal carries an inverse relationship with the monsoon season.
• The setup of China’s infrastructure fund may revive the demand for steel.

Steel prices have corrected in the Asian session after failing to surpass the critical hurdle of 6.40 amid the arrival of monsoon in 14 provinces across northern, central, and eastern China, and some other Asian countries. The season-sensitive asset is expected to extend its losses on a broader note as heavy rains will dampen the overall demand for steel.

For a longer period, steel prices are declining firmly as steel mill owners halted the production of steel. The steel mill owners halted steel production due to a significant slump in the overall demand and the stipulations of coping with the environmental restrictions.

On the demand side, the resumption of economic activities in China at its pre-pandemic levels may elevate the demand for steel. Earlier, the lockdown curbs in Shanghai and Beijing due to the resurgence of Covid-19 had halted economic activities forcefully. The Chinese economy adopted a zero-Covid policy to contain the pandemic, therefore restrictions on the movement of men, materials, and machines were extremely harsh.

Apart from that, China is expected to launch a state infrastructure investment fund that would be worth the Chinese Yuan (CNY) 500 billion ($74.69 billion) to boost infrastructure spending and to bring a revival to the flagging economy, as per Reuters. The usage of steel in infrastructure building remains extremely high and higher infrastructure development in the Chinese economy will spurt the demand for steel.