SMM News on December 19:
The operating rate for die-casting zinc alloy this week was recorded at 48.85%, down 0.72 percentage points WoW. In terms of inventory, as the price center of zinc pulled back this week, enterprises engaged in restocking at low prices, leading to a slight increase in raw material inventory. For finished product inventories, as some enterprises halted production to consume finished product inventories, finished product inventories declined during the week. The decrease in the operating rate of die-casting zinc alloy enterprises this week was mainly due to some enterprises halting production affected by high finished product inventories, thus driving the operating rate down. Regarding terminal orders, the actual end-user demand for die-casting zinc alloy remained relatively weak recently, including orders for hardware in real estate and luggage accessories. However, driven by year-end settlements, some enterprises also reported a slight recovery in downstream demand, though the overall boost was relatively small. Looking ahead to next week, some enterprises that halted production to consume high inventory are expected to resume normal production, which is anticipated to drive the operating rate for die-casting zinc alloy to rise and hover around 50.14%.
