Anthracite trading activities at China's main production hubs were stuck in a stand-off last week, while coal prices remained stable on the back of restocking from civil sector.

Anthracite supply primarily held stable, yet more failed online auctions were reported due to weak buying appetite. This pushed some miners to lower mine-mouth prices of chemical grades.

Coke enterprises and civil sector sustained purchases on a need-to basis, providing limited strength to coal prices.

Chemical plants mostly made on-demand purchases amid current slack season.

Steel mills, on the other hand, maintained high capacity utilization of blast furnaces, while they also maintained purchases for rigid demand since finished steel consumption is also in slack season.

Prevailing offers for 6,800 Kcal/kg NAR 0.5%-sulfur small-lump anthracite in Jincheng of Shanxi were at 1,200-1,330 yuan/t free-on-rail basis with VAT, unchanged week on week; and the 0.2%-sulfur 6,000 Kcal/kg NAR slack anthracite coal were at 810-850 yuan/t, ex-washplant basis with VAT.

As of December 4, Fenwei assessed the price of 7,000 Kcal/kg NAR mid-lump anthracite with 0.5% sulfur in Jincheng at 1,350 yuan/t, ex-washplant basis with VAT, unchanged from a week ago.

The price of 7,000 Kcal/kg NAR washed small lump anthracite (S 0.5%) in Jincheng was also flat at 1,300 yuan/t, ex-washplant with VAT, and that of 6,000 Kcal/kg NAR anthracite slack with 0.5% sulfur in Jincheng remained unchanged at 950 yuan/t, ex-washplant with VAT.