The sponge titanium market has seen a shift in its supply-demand dynamics, driven by production cuts and increased pre-holiday restocking activity. On December 18, sponge titanium prices rose for the first time since the downward trend began on May 14. This marks a significant development after nearly two months of flat pricing. According to SMM...
READ MOREThe SHFE lead 2412 contract reached delivery yesterday, reflecting ongoing challenges in the lead market. A combination of high social inventories of lead ingots and subdued downstream consumption has driven lead prices downward. This environment has also slowed the price increase of raw material battery scrap for secondary lead, with some smelting enterprises reducing their...
READ MOREChina’s copper concentrate and ore imports in November 2024 totaled 2.245 million metric tons, marking a decline of 2.98% month-on-month (MoM) and 8.1% year-on-year (YoY). This monthly import volume fell below the annual average level of 2.33 million metric tons. Despite the November downturn, cumulative imports from January to November reached 25.645 million metric tons,...
READ MOREChina’s aluminium production increased by 3.6% year-on-year in November, reaching 3.71 million metric tons, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. The rise in output, attributed to newly added capacity in Xinjiang and resumed operations in southwestern China, occurred despite declining industry profits. Daily aluminium production in November averaged 123,667 tons, marking a...
READ MORENornickel, the world’s largest palladium producer, expects annual palladium demand in China to rise by 5-10 tonnes, or 7.6-15% of current consumption, from 2026-2027 as it develops new industrial applications for the metal. This comes as traditional consumption from internal combustion engine vehicles, which account for over 80% of global palladium use, continues to decline....
READ MOREIn early December 2024, China announced a ban on exports of gallium, germanium, and antimony to the United States, escalating the ongoing trade and technology disputes between the two nations. These three minerals are critical for industries ranging from semiconductors to defense. As the leading global producer, China controls 94% of gallium, 83% of germanium,...
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In November, China’s production of lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) reached 9,350 tonnes, reflecting a month-on-month decline of 3.21% but a year-on-year increase of 12.65%. This reduction in production aligns with weakening demand from the electronics industry, prompting smelters to adjust output to match market trends. Market analysts predict a further decline in LCO production in...
READ MOREGlobal bauxite and aluminum prices have surged to a five-month high this month, driven by economic growth, supply concerns, and a weaker U.S. dollar. Analysts predict that prices could continue to rise from current levels, reflecting the broader market’s ongoing uncertainties. Aluminum prices are currently about 18% higher than they were a year ago, with...
READ MOREChina’s aluminium production in October 2024 rose year-on-year as a positive demand outlook and higher aluminium prices offset rising raw material costs. Official data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that China, the world’s largest aluminium producer, produced 3.72 million metric tons of primary aluminium last month, marking a 1.6% increase from October last...
READ MOREChinese zinc producers are racing to deliver between 30,000 and 40,000 metric tons of refined zinc to warehouses registered with the Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) ahead of the November contract expiry on Friday, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the situation. This significant delivery is expected to raise zinc stocks in the ShFE...
READ MOREChinese copper smelters may cut production or extend maintenance periods next year to address ongoing feedstock shortages, as discussed by participants at an industry conference in Shanghai. The shortage of copper concentrate is leading to increased competition among smelters, with production cutbacks seen as a possible solution to alleviate the situation. Earlier this year, global...
READ MOREAccording to data from Shanghai Metals Market (SMM), China’s aluminium production in October 2024 reached 3.7025 million tonnes, a 1.7% increase compared to the same month last year. In September, the year-on-year increase was estimated at 1.5%. For the ten-month period of 2024, Chinese aluminium producers exceeded last year’s output by 4.0%, with a total...
READ MOREChina’s copper cathode production in October 2024 amounted to 995,500 tonnes, according to the Shanghai Metals Market (SMM). This figure marks a 0.9% decline from September but a slight increase of 0.2% compared to October 2023. Overall, Chinese companies produced 9.96 million tonnes of copper in the first ten months of the year, reflecting a...
READ MOREOn November 13, 2024, the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNIA) stated that increased utilization of aluminium and recycled copper could help China manage its limited copper resources. Ge Honglin, Chairman of CNIA, emphasized that Chinese smelters face challenges due to constrained copper concentrate supplies, which is impacting their profitability. He noted that smelter profits...
READ MOREChinese copper smelters are under mounting pressure to scale back their rapid expansion, which is impacting profitability across the global industry. China, the world’s largest consumer of copper, is on course to produce about half of the world’s refined copper this year after an aggressive wave of smelter construction aimed at securing essential supplies for...
READ MOREChina’s cobalt powder production increased by 3.97% month-on-month in October, reaching 773.5 tonnes, while also rising 7.28% compared to the same period last year. From January to October, total production reached 7,978 tonnes, marking a year-on-year growth of 12.29%. In October, overall demand for cobalt powder was moderate, and the market saw the presence of...
READ MOREJiaxin New Materials Company has successfully conducted a trial production of its new 7-series high-end aluminium alloy round ingot product. This development marks a major milestone for the China-based company as it expands its product line with a high-strength aluminium alloy designed for demanding applications. The newly developed alloy primarily uses zinc as its main...
READ MOREOn October 15th, Inner Mongolia Weiwang Aluminum Products Processing officially began the trial production phase of its aluminium alloy ingot project. With an investment of RMB 100 million (approximately $13.7 million USD), the facility is set to produce 60,000 tonnes of aluminium alloy ingots annually, using 70,000 tons of recycled aluminium. The project began construction...
READ MOREChina’s Zinc Smelter Purchasing Team (CZSPT) has set the domestic processing fees for zinc concentrate at between 2,000 yuan ($281.57) and 2,500 yuan per metric ton for the first quarter of 2025, according to media reports. The new fees reflect the industry’s ongoing difficulties, including tight ore supplies and declining smelting margins. For imported zinc...
READ MORECopper, the third most used metal globally, is crucial for the energy transition, particularly in electrification and renewable energy applications. Recent developments, including China’s stimulus measures, have led to significant volatility in copper prices, adding uncertainty to the metal’s future. China’s economic actions have been a major driver of this volatility. Copper futures are actively...
READ MORETight supply, improving demand in China, and falling inventories are expected to push zinc prices up by around 8% in the short term, analysts say. The zinc market has faced mine setbacks this year, tightening zinc ore and concentrate supplies, noted Daniel Hynes, senior commodity strategist at ANZ Research. Sibanye-Stillwater recently suspended operations at its...
READ MORERussia has significantly increased its alumina imports from China, largely due to supplies from the Hebei Wenfeng New Materials (HWNM) plant, where Russian aluminum giant Rusal acquired a 30% stake. From January to September 2024, alumina imports from China to Russia rose by 43% year-on-year, reaching 1.2 million tons, according to data from the General...
READ MORECopper prices fell on Tuesday as the dollar strengthened, and uncertainty loomed over China’s economic recovery following weak economic data and a lack of details regarding Beijing’s stimulus efforts. The three-month copper contract on the London Metal Exchange (LME) declined by 1.2%, trading at $9,547 per metric ton by 0722 GMT, marking its lowest point...
READ MOREChina’s imports of unwrought copper increased in September compared to the previous month, driven by seasonal demand improvements and a positive consumption outlook for the industrial metal, according to customs data released on Monday. Imports of unwrought copper and related products reached 479,000 metric tons last month, marking a 15.4% rise from August, data from...
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