Indians/Xstrata spice met coal contract mix

摘要

INDIAN STATE-CONTROLLED STEEL producers,SAIL and RINL (Vizag), always important buyers, are looming as especially significant to the hard coking coal market balance as 'round zero' talks kicked off this week on Q3 (July-September) contract business.SAIL and RINL's importance - especially with supply from BHP Billiton still heavily hamstrung by industrial action - was underlined by the surprise emergence of Xstrata, seemingly shaping to return to the Indian public sector supply list after an absence of more than half a decade.The Xstrata move came as Anglo Coal was understood to have begun preliminary Q3 contract talks with customers in South Korea, Japan and elsewhere, although meaningful price negotiations are not expected until later in the month.