China’s steel market is not collapsing despite the property downturn. Instead, demand is stabilising at a lower level as manufacturing, exports and new energy sectors gradually replace construction-driven demand. This is not a demand collapse, it’s a structural shift from property to industrial and export-driven demand. What’s Really Happening The sharp drop in construction activity has clearly hurt steel demand: Property-related steel (like rebar) has fallen significantly Construction’s share of demand is shrinking But the broader market tells a different story: Total steel demand is only slightly below past peaks Manufacturing, shipbuilding and energy transition sectors are absorbing demand Exports are acting as a key buffer Instead of a sudden crash, the industry is entering a long plateau . Why This Matters The market had expected a sharp collapse but reality is more gradual: Demand is declining slowly, not falling off a cliff China is shifting from construction-led growth to ...
KUALA LUMPUR (June 30): Bursa Malaysia erased gains made earlier on Thursday (June 30) to end at its intraday low following heavy selling in the last 10 minutes of trading, an analyst said. At 5pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) lost 0.5%, or 7.26 points, to finish at 1,444.22 from Wednesday's close of 1,451.48. The benchmark index, which opened 4.02 points better at 1,455.5, moved between 1,444.22 and 1,460.3 throughout the day. Overall market breadth was negative with losers outpacing gainers 520 to 327, while 396 counters were unchanged, 1,039 untraded, and 65 others suspended. Total turnover narrowed to 2.26 billion units worth RM1.97 billion from 2.37 billion units valued at RM1.77 billion on Wednesday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice president of equity research Thong Pak Leng said regionally, key indices also finished broadly lower following negative cues from Wall Street overnight. The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo declined after Japan’s May industrial production s...