The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that for the week ending February 14, 2026, US domestic raw steel production reached 1,800,000 net tons, representing a 5.6% increase compared to the same week in 2025. The capability utilization rate rose to 77.8%, up from 76.5% a year ago. Year-to-date production through mid-February is up 4.0% at 11.36 million net tons.

On April 22, at the CCIE 2025 SMM (20th) Copper Industry Conference & Copper Industry Expo – Copper Pipe and Billet Processing Industry Development Forum, hosted by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd., SMM Metal Trading Center, and Shandong Aisi Information Technology Co., Ltd., Zhou Mingliang, Executive Director of the Advanced Basic Materials Application Research Center of the Shenzhen Connector Industry Association, shared insights on the topic of "Development Trends of Copper Alloy Materials for Connectors."

On April 22, at the CCIE 2025 SMM (20th) Copper Industry Conference & Copper Industry Expo - Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Industry Forum, hosted by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd., SMM Metal Trading Center, and Shandong Aisi Information Technology Co., Ltd., Long Huachen, Senior Copper Analyst at SMM, analyzed the copper wire rod market in 2025 and provided an outlook for its future.

On April 24, at the CCIE 2025 SMM (20th) Copper Industry Conference & Copper Industry Expo - Copper-Based New Materials High-Quality Development Forum, hosted by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd., SMM Metal Trading Center, and Shandong Aisi Information Technology Co., Ltd., Yu Shaoxue, Senior Manager of SMM Industry Research, discussed the theme of "Global Copper Foil Industry Landscape and Market Outlook for 2025."

SMM Hot Topic: Aftermath of US Tariff Blast: 27% of Steel Imports Evaporated in February! According to preliminary data from the US Census Bureau, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported today that the total steel imports in the US in February 2025 amounted to 2.235 million mt, with finished steel products accounting for 1.623 million mt (a decrease of 27.2% and 29.6% respectively compared to January 2025). Year-to-date, total steel imports and finished steel product imports increased by 5.7% and 7.4% respectively compared to the same period in 2024. Over the 12 months from March 2024 to February 2025, total steel imports and finished steel product imports increased by 3.1% and 5.4% respectively compared to the previous 12 months. The estimated market share of finished steel product imports in February was 22%, and for the first two months of 2025, it was estimated at 24%.

On April 16, at the AICE 2025 SMM (20th) Aluminum Industry Conference and Aluminum Industry Expo—Alumina and Aluminum Raw Materials Forum, co-hosted by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd., SMM Metal Trading Center, and Shandong Aisi Information Technology Co., Ltd., and co-organized by Zhongyifeng Jinyi (Suzhou) Technology Co., Ltd. and Lezhi Qianrun Investment Service Co., Ltd., Mingxin Guo, Senior Analyst of Bauxite at SMM, delivered a presentation on the topic "2024 Price Review and 2025 Trend Outlook for the Global Alumina Market." He pointed out that in 2025, overseas alumina capacity expected for commissioning is projected to reach 4 million mt, while aluminum capacity expected for commissioning is estimated to be less than 1 million mt. In 2026, overseas alumina supply and demand are both expected to increase, with overseas alumina production projected to rise by 2.79 million mt and overseas aluminum production expected to increase by 1.08 million mt. Based on an alumina consumption rate of 1.925, overseas alumina demand is expected to expand by 2.08 million mt, resulting in an estimated increase in alumina surplus by 710,000 mt to approximately 2.51 million mt.