China’s steel output hits record high
China’s steel production hit a record high in early April as construction demand picked up, allaying concerns over faltering demand for raw materials in the world’s second-largest economy.
今年4月初，中国钢铁产量触及创纪录高位，原因是建筑需求升温，这缓和了外界对于全球第二大经济体原材料需求不振的担忧。
China, which produces nearly half the world’s steel, produced 2.03m tonnes of steel a day during the first 10 days in April, according to data from the China Iron and Steel Association, an industry association representing large-scale mills.
中国的钢铁产量占全球的近一半，根据中国钢铁工业协会(China Iron and Steel Association)的数据，4月上旬，中国粗钢日产量为203万吨。该行业协会代表着大型钢铁企业。
Beijing’s year-old crackdown on property markets across the country has damped appetite for raw materials and demand growth for a range of commodities from iron ore to aluminium is expected to fall this year as a result, analysts say. China is the world’s biggest user of many commodities and Chinese demand is crucial to the fortunes of global miners and trading houses such as BHP Billiton, Glencore and Rio Tinto.
分析人士表示，中国各地对房地产市场长达一年的调控抑制了市场对原材料的胃口，预计一系列大宗商品(从铁矿石到铝)的需求增速今年将因此回落。中国是很多大宗商品的全球最大消费国，中国的需求对于全球矿商和交易商如必和必拓(BHP Billiton)、嘉能可(Glencore)和力拓(Rio Tinto)的兴衰至关重要。
Chinese steel demand has re-emerged in recent weeks thanks to increased construction activity, fitting a seasonal pattern as building projects start up at the end of winter. Commodity demand has picked up moderately across the board, with cement output rising 7.9 per cent in March from the previous year and electricity output growing 7.2 per cent during the same period.
最近几周，由于建筑活动升温(这符合季节模式，因建筑项目会在冬季结束时启动)，中国钢铁需求再次出现。各种大宗商品的需求均小幅扩大，今年3月，水泥产量同比增长7.9%，同期发电量增长7.2%。
In the first quarter, a group of 80 steel mills monitored by CISA reported record losses of Rmb1bn ($159m) due to low steel prices and weak steel demand. Amid the weak domestic market, China’s steel exports soared 15.8 per cent in the first quarter, while imports 18.4 per cent.
今年第一季度，由于钢价处于低位且需求疲弱，中钢协监督的80家钢铁企业出现10亿元人民币 (合1.59亿美元)创纪录亏损。在国内市场疲弱的情况下，今年第一季度，中国的钢铁出口飙升15.8%，进口增长18.4%。
Iron ore prices have remained steady this year in the range of $135-$150 per tonne for benchmark 62 Fe grade ore, and have hovered near six-month highs this week. The price of iron ore closed at $151 per tonne on Wednesday, up almost 9 per cent from the start of the year.
今年，含铁量为62%的基准铁矿石价格一直稳定在每吨135至150美元之间，在近6个月高点徘徊。铁矿石价格周三收于每吨151美元，较今年初累计上涨近9%。
Ore inventories at Chinese ports are at very high levels relative to historic average, although they have started to fall in recent weeks.
与历史平均水平相比，中国港口的铁矿石库存处于非常高的水平，尽管最近几周已开始下降。