National market: demand is concentrated release, prices rise steadily
As the epidemic eased, cement demand across the country began to release concentratedly, demand continued to recover in most regions, cement prices rose steadily, and the rate of increase at the end of the month narrowed. At the beginning of May, the National Cement Price Index (CEMPI) was 146.62 and closed at 148.64 points at the end of the month, up 1.59% month-on-month and down 1.14% year-on-year.
From a regional perspective, there was a large-scale increase in the southwest region in May. The cement market in the northwest and northeast regions mainly fell, while the increase in the rest of the region was weak. Demand for engineering projects in the southwest region is better, coupled with high-speed charges, cement prices in Chongqing, Sichuan and other places have continued to rise since mid-April. Demand in the Yangtze River Delta is better, and cement market demand is strong. The market situation in the Northeast is relatively sluggish, and there are fewer new infrastructure projects in the Heiji area, and the demand is not good.
In terms of cost, the closing price of Qinhuangdao (Q5500K) thermal coal at the end of May was 543 yuan/ton, up 17.03% month-on-month and down 8.28% year-on-year. The cost of a ton of cement and coal is about 55.82 yuan, a decrease of about 5.04 yuan over the same period last year. At the end of May, the cost price difference between cement and coal was 329.86 yuan/ton, down 0.63% month-on-month and up 0.17% year-on-year.