Singapore/Perth, Aug. 02 2018 — Asia's thermal coal market is currently a two-speed affair. Prices are riding at a seven-year high for Newcastle 6,000 NAR thermal coal, the staple of Japanese power plants, as Japanese buyers continue to wait for a benchmark price to emerge for 2018 financial year contracts, four months after the talks' April 1 deadline passed.
Meanwhile, well-stocked utilities in China are sitting tight and biding their time as falling domestic coal prices pull import prices lower, including for the popular Newcastle 5,500 NAR grade of Australian coal, as well as Indonesian grades.
The following Platts assessments were discussed in this podcast:
Thermal Coal FOB Newcastle 6300 kcal/kg GAR 7-45 Day $/mt
$122.60/MT
07/31/2018