On March 18, the SMM average price of battery-grade nickel sulphate remained unchanged.

[China Iron Ore Brief Review: Tight Resources in West Liaoning, Local Ore Prices May Edge Up Slightly] The domestic ore market in west Liaoning was relatively stable, with the ex-factory prices of 66-grade iron ore concentrates, wet basis and excluding tax, at 730-740 yuan/mt. Supply and demand were clearly in a wait-and-see mode. Beneficiation plants, considering the relatively small inventory pressure, temporarily held back from selling. Against this backdrop, traders were not highly motivated to make inquiries, and only a few made price inquiries based on their own needs. Affected by safety and environmental protection inspections, mining was restricted, and a small number of operating beneficiation plants suspended production for maintenance due to constraints in ROM resources. Circulating spot resources remained tight, which still provided certain support for ore prices.

[SMM Coking Coal and Coke Daily Brief Review] In terms of supply, coking costs increased and losses widened somewhat. At present, coke producers were barely maintaining normal operating rates, while coke production remained temporarily stable. Meanwhile, downstream demand for coke increased, and coke producers' shipments improved somewhat. On the demand side, steel mills were in an active phase of resuming production, while finished steel prices fluctuated upward and steel mill profitability improved somewhat, boosting production enthusiasm and increasing demand for coke. In summary, the fundamentals of coke supply and demand developed in a positive direction, and the coke market may remain generally stable with slight rise in the short term.

[SMM Daily Chrome Review: Overseas Ore Prices Continued to Rise, While the Alloy Market Temporarily Remained Stable] March 18, 2026 News: Chrome ore prices continued to rise, while ferrochrome quotations saw no adjustment for the time being...

Based on current production conditions and in light of current market demand, starting from March 17, mainstream steel mills in Fujian (such as Sansteel Minguang, Fujian Sanbao, Fujian Dadonghai, Wuhang, and Fujian Hongfeng) successively adjusted the price spreads for construction steel specification components.

[SMM Stainless Steel Daily Review] SS Futures Fluctuated, Rising First and Then Falling, While Spot Quotes Edged Lower and Transactions Recovered SMM News, March 17: SS futures moved sideways. During the day, SS futures rose first and then fell, overall maintaining a sideways movement pattern, and closed at 14,155 yuan/mt by the midday break. In the spot market, although SS futures were relatively strong in the morning, affected by the previous cuts in guidance prices by major stainless steel mills, trader quotes still edged slightly lower than yesterday. However, market sentiment had stabilized somewhat, and amid the price pullback, both inquiries and transactions increased to some extent. The most-traded SS futures contract fluctuated. As of 10:15 a.m., SS2605 was quoted at 14,220 yuan/mt, up 175 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. Spot premiums for 304/2B in Wuxi stood at 200-400 yuan/mt. In the spot market, the average price of cold-rolled 201/2B coils in Wuxi fell by 50 yuan/mt; for cold-rolled trim-edge 304/2B coils, the average price in Wuxi fell by 50 yuan/mt, and the average price in Foshan also fell by 50 yuan/mt; cold-rolled 316L/2B coils in Wuxi were basically stable; hot-rolled 316L/NO.1 coils were quoted basically stable in Wuxi; cold-rolled 430/2B coils in both Wuxi and Foshan were basically stable. As the traditional peak consumption season of "Golden March and Silver April" began, the stainless steel market entered a window for demand recovery, with downstream end-users gradually recovering. Recently, activity in inquiries and purchases increased markedly, but stainless steel spot prices overall remained basically stable, with no obvious fluctuations. End-user procurement was still mainly driven by rigid demand, and the full bustle of the peak season had yet to emerge, ...