[SMM Aluminum Express News] Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle made landfall near Coen, Far North Queensland, Australia, around 7:30 AM on March 20, 2026, as a Category 4 system (after peaking as Cat 5 offshore). It brought winds >250 km/h, 200–500 mm rain, flash flooding, and storm surge—one of the strongest cyclones to hit the region in decades. Rio Tinto shut down its Weipa bauxite operations (including Amrun and Andoom mines) as a precaution against destructive winds, heavy rain, and risks to infrastructure. The Weipa area supplies key global bauxite for aluminium production. Emergency evacuations occurred in remote communities like Lockhart River.

The 2026 SMM (3rd) Global Renewable Metal Industry Chain Summit & Battery Recycling Forum will be held in Tokyo, Japan, from May 11–12, 2026. The summit aims to bring together leading global enterprises, research institutions, industry experts, and policymakers in the fields of renewable metals and battery recycling.

[SMM Titanium Express] Yunnan National Titanium Metal issued a price adjustment notice. Based on current market conditions, effective March 10, all grades of sponge titanium prices will increase by RMB 2,000/ton for domestic market and USD 300/ton for overseas market.

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.

[SMM Cast Aluminum Alloy Morning Comment: Alloy Enterprises Yet to Resume Work, Market Mainly Sluggish] On Tuesday, the SMM ADC12 price was raised by 100 yuan/mt to 23,750 yuan/mt. Post-holiday, futures showed strong performance on the first day, boosting market sentiment, but secondary aluminum enterprises' quotations displayed some divergence. Some enterprises, considering downstream operations have not fully resumed, maintained pre-holiday quotation ranges, holding steady and adopting a wait-and-see approach; others raised prices by 100 yuan/mt accordingly. Inquiry activity in the market gradually recovered, but actual transactions remained relatively light, with the market still dominated by a wait-and-see stance. As the shutdown period for secondary aluminum plants this year was slightly longer YoY, most enterprises are scheduled to resume work between the eighth and fifteenth days of the first lunar month. Supply release pace is expected to be relatively slow in the first week after the holiday, providing phased support to prices. However, demand-side recovery is more likely to be gradual; before end-user orders show significant volume, downstream procurement will remain cautious and need-based. Cost side, continued attention is needed on price fluctuations of aluminum scrap and auxiliary materials such as copper and silicon. Primary aluminum trends remain a key variable affecting market sentiment and the price center. Overall, ADC12 prices are likely to continue the pre-holiday sideways movement pattern in the initial post-holiday period. Subsequent direction will depend on supply-demand matching after full production resumptions and primary aluminum price performance. If phased restocking coincides with primary aluminum holding up well, there is room for price recovery; otherwise, prices may face slight pressure, but the overall trend is expected to remain sideways.

【SMM Steel】The first ScanLoop train arrived at Beddingen, carrying 25 wagons of steel scrap from Volvo Cars' Sweden plant to Salzgitter Flachstahl. The closed loop returns compressed stamping off-cuts to Germany for melting, using backhaul trains instead of running empty. The 700-km rail trip takes 1.5 days with 100% carbon-neutral power. Salzgitter's DEUMU and VPS manage it. It shows how circular economy boosts resource efficiency and cuts emissions.