SMM December 26:
The operating rate for die-casting zinc alloy this week was 52.80%, up 3.95 percentage points MoM. Inventory side, the price center of zinc moved lower this week, prompting downstream end-users to restock at lower levels, leading to an increase in raw material inventories. Finished product inventories side, shipments improved for some enterprises during the week, resulting in a noticeable decline in their finished product inventories. The rise in the operating rate for die-casting zinc alloy this week was partly due to enterprises that previously implemented production cuts resuming normal operations. Additionally, zinc prices remained relatively stable throughout the week, and some enterprises reported improved downstream demand, which contributed to the production increase. Terminal orders side, demand for traditional hardware orders remained relatively subdued, but some enterprises noted an increase in end-user order volumes driven by this week's zinc price movement, while market demand for electronic product orders remained relatively strong. Export orders side, enterprises reported that as the year-end approaches, there were few new export orders in the market, with most being previously unfulfilled orders. Looking ahead to next week, the operating rate for die-casting zinc alloy enterprises is expected to fluctuate around 53%.
