Latest Update in the SMM Rare Earth Salts Market

[SMM Analysis: Stainless Steel Scrap Supply Release Eases Shortage, Price Stops Rising and Pulls Back] This week, 304 stainless steel scrap off-cuts prices in east China first rose then fell, generally stabilizing at 10,200-10,300 yuan/mt; 304 stainless steel scrap off-cuts prices in Foshan area pulled back to 9,900-10,200 yuan/mt. Currently, by raw material calculation, the production cost of producing stainless steel entirely from stainless steel scrap is about 14,127.63 yuan/mt, while the production cost of producing stainless steel entirely from high-grade NPI is about 13,938.37 yuan/mt. This week, a steel mill in south China did not update its stainless steel scrap procurement price...

[SMM Analysis: Samsung SDI Ramps Up Fundraising for Battery Capacity Expansion How Will Silver Demand Be Affected by Super-Gap Solid-State Batteries?] On March 14, SAMSUNG SDI announced that the company would start a rights issue to raise an estimated 200 billion won ($1.38 billion) in capital for its future competitiveness and medium and long-term growth. As the Super-Gap solid-state battery uses a silver-carbon composite material as the anode, it can effectively regulate lithium deposition without the need for excess lithium metal. The entry of this technology into mass production is expected to bring new growth in silver consumption, which is one of the supporting views for a bullish outlook on silver prices in the medium and long term.

[SMM Weekly Survey on Aluminum Downstream] The operating rate of leading domestic aluminum downstream processing enterprises rebounded by 1.2 percentage points WoW to 62.8%, maintaining a mild recovery trend. Overall, current demand is primarily supported by PV, NEVs, and power grid infrastructure, while traditional construction extrusion and internal combustion engine vehicles are constrained by financial pressure and weak end-user consumption, failing to meet peak season expectations. Meanwhile, high and volatile aluminum prices continue to suppress downstream procurement. In the short term, the aluminum processing industry is expected to maintain a "stable and rising" trend, but caution is needed regarding the impact of aluminum price fluctuations on cargo pick-up sentiment. SMM predicts that the operating rate will rise another 0.4 percentage points WoW to 63.3% next week.

According to customs data, nickel ore imports in February 2025 were 1.1461 million mt, up 234,200 mt MoM, a 25.68% increase. In January, nickel ore imports were 911,900 mt, down 607,800 mt MoM, a 39.99% decrease. Compared to January, February imports decreased by 77,100 mt, a 6.30% decline. Among these, laterite nickel ore imports in February were 1.1067 million mt, and nickel sulphide ore imports were 39,400 mt. Imports of laterite nickel ore from the Philippines in February were 741,000 mt, accounting for 64.66% of the month's total imports. In January, imports of laterite nickel ore from the Philippines were 647,200 mt, accounting for 70.97% of the month's total imports. Total nickel ore imports in January-February 2025 were 2.058 million mt, down 8.49% YoY.

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On March 18, 2025 (Beijing time), Chinese autonomous driving solution developer DeepRoute.ai showcased its latest strategic initiative, RoadAGI, and introduced its new road-based general AI platform, ...