SMM Weekly Stainless Steel Futures Review — week of May 25–29, 2026. Indonesian nickel ore and ferroalloy policy expectations and a low-inventory floor steady the benchmark contract near RMB 14,800/mt in the week of May 25 – May 29.

[smm aluminum alloy futures review] the most-traded al2604 futures contract fluctuated upward today. after a slight pullback in the early session, it stabilized and continued to rise in the afternoon, reaching the day's high at the close. it closed at 23,180 yuan, up 450 yuan/mt from the previous close, with a gain of 1.98%. trading volume was 14,947, and open interest was 6,875, mainly due to short positions being reduced. during the day, trading volume slightly increased while open interest decreased, indicating a rise on reduced positions. the price broke through the recent range, closing with a bullish candlestick. the kdj indicator turned upward, suggesting that bulls had an advantage in the short term, and the sentiment in the futures market was relatively strong.

SMM February 27 News: The most-traded SHFE lead 2604 contract opened at 16,800 yuan/mt. With the pace of downstream resumption accelerating around the Lantern Festival, expectations for demand recovery strengthened, and market sentiment warmed up. After a brief dip, lead prices fluctuated upward, reaching a high of 16,850 yuan/mt, then consolidated sideways towards the end of the session, closing at 16,840 yuan/mt. It recorded a three-day winning streak, rising by 45 yuan/mt, or 0.27%. In the short term, the market is in a state of supply-demand contest, and it is expected that lead prices will continue to move sideways. Data Source Statement: Apart from publicly available information, other data are derived from public information, market communication, and SMM's internal database model, processed by SMM for reference only and do not constitute decision-making advice.

Feb. 26: The SM2605 contract opened at 5,748 yuan/mt and closed at 5,918 yuan/mt, up 2.85%, with the highest price at 5,968 yuan/mt and the lowest at 5,740 yuan/mt. Trading volume was 722,600 lots, and open interest stood at 451,708 lots. Futures showed an upward trend. Cost side, frequent news from manganese mines continues to stimulate the manganese ore market to hold up well. Regional divergence in electricity costs is significant, becoming a key factor affecting the competitiveness of alloy plants in different production areas. Electricity prices in northern production areas are expected to remain low, offering notable cost advantages, while the main production areas in south China see no downside room for electricity prices. The coking coal and coke markets overall remain in the doldrums, exerting a mild impact on SiMn costs. Supply side, SiMn supply diverges between the north and south markets. On one hand, some alloy plants in Inner Mongolia still have expectations to start production or resume production, which will lead to an increase in SiMn capacity release and gradually highlight supply-side pressure, likely restraining price increases. On the other hand, most SiMn producers in the south face difficulties resuming production due to rising costs from raised electricity pricing policies. Demand side, the mainstream steel tender prices for February have not been announced, and the market is watching for the impact of tender pricing on the market.

February 25 news: The SM2605 contract opened at 5,748 yuan/mt and closed at 5,752 yuan/mt, up 0.28%, with the highest price at 5,784 yuan/mt and the lowest at 5,736 yuan/mt. Trading volume was 140,400 lots, and open interest was 453,701 lots. Cost side, the manganese ore market continued to hold up well, serving as the core support for costs. Electricity prices showed significant regional divergence, becoming a key factor affecting the competitiveness of alloy plants in different production areas. Electricity prices in northern production areas are expected to remain low, offering notable cost advantages, while most southern production areas see no downside room for electricity prices. The coking coal and coke markets overall remained in the doldrums, exerting a mild impact on SiMn costs. Supply side, pressure from SiMn supply is set to further release, significantly restraining price rises. On one hand, alloy plants in Ningxia had already seen inventory accumulation before the holiday, facing considerable pressure to digest stocks after the holiday; on the other hand, some alloy plants in Inner Mongolia still have expectations to start production and resume operations, which will lead to increased SiMn capacity release, gradually highlighting supply-side pressure and likely curbing price increases. Demand side, February steel tender prices have not been announced, and the market is watching for the impact of tender pricing.

[SMM Tin Futures Review: Macro Sentiment Cools and Spot Cargo Consolidates in Parallel, the Most-Traded SHFE Tin Contract Is Expected to Run in the Doldrums]