After the China’s government reined in surplus capacity, Chinese buyers began hoarding coal supplies, causing seaborne thermal coal for the Asian market to rise to its highest in over 10 months and supporting coal-related exchange traded funds.
Year-to-date, the VanEck Vectors Coal ETF (NYSEArca: KOL), which tracks the coal industry, jumped 37.4% and the GreenHaven Coal Fund (NYSEArca: TONS), which is designed to offer investors with exposure to daily changes in the price of coal futures contracts, surged 53.8%.
From a low of $49 per tonne in January, high-grade Australian thermal coal has rallied 20% to over $59 per tonne, reports Neil Hume for the Financial Times.
“The least loved part of the energy complex is looking in better shape than it has for several years,” analysts at Citi in a report.
Related: Shorts Running for the Exit on Big China ETF
Coal has been among the least loved areas of the market after plunging prices and a market shift away from so-called dirty energy sources.
Coal prices have also improved on rebounding crude oil prices, which eased deflationary pressures on the coal industry and supported natural gas, the main competitor to coal across Asia in power generation.
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