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- Vietnam, Russia Sign Deal for First Nuclear Power Plant in Ninh Thuan, Boosting Energy Diversification
[SMM Aluminum Express News] Vietnam and Russia have signed an agreement in Moscow to develop Vietnam’s first nuclear power plant following talks between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. The project includes two nuclear plants with a combined capacity of 400MW in former Ninh Thuan province (now Khanh Hoa), marking a major step in Vietnam’s long-term energy diversification strategy. The agreement is expected to strengthen cooperation in high technology, research, and industrial development, while supporting Vietnam’s rapidly rising electricity demand. The Government estimates that power consumption will increase by 12-13percent in 2025 and reach 1,200 billion kWh by 2045
Mar 26, 2026 17:39 - Nornickel Invests $100M in AI to Boost Palladium Demand Amid EV Shift
Russia’s MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC is betting on artificial intelligence as part of a $100 million push to find additional uses for palladium as electric vehicles erode the metal’s main source of demand.Nornickel, the world’s biggest palladium producer, aims to create 1.7 million ounces of new annual consumption for the metal. That’s equivalent to almost a fifth of existing demand.
Mar 25, 2026 16:16 - US Fed Officials: Middle East Conflict May Delay US Interest Rate Cut
On Tuesday, Eastern Time, Chicago Fed President Goolsbee warned that the energy shock stemming from the Middle East conflict is threatening the US Fed’s dual mandate, complicating its monetary policy outlook and potentially delaying interest rate cuts—echoing earlier remarks by Fed Governor Barr that inflation risks and oil prices support keeping rates unchanged for longer. Specifically, the energy price shock poses risks to both sides of the US Fed’s dual mandate, making the trade-off between controlling inflation and supporting economic growth more complex. “The new shock has undoubtedly disrupted the US Fed’s plans... and inflation was already uncomfortably high even before the shock occurred,” Goolsbee said bluntly. Goolsbee noted that central bank policymakers around the world lack clear historical experience to draw on in dealing with the current mix of geopolitical risks and inflationary pressures, and therefore “this is a bad situation for central banks.” Goolsbee stressed that the current path of interest rates at central banks around the world still depends heavily on how the conflict evolves, especially its impact on energy markets. As for the US Fed, he said he is not yet able to judge whether it will be able to cut interest rates again, because that outlook depends on the duration of the conflict and the extent to which rising oil prices affect overall inflation. “Only if inflation shows improvement can one realistically expect rates to fall this year,” he added, further reinforcing the US Fed’s data-dependent stance. The US Fed’s Internal Stance Is Turning More Cautious These remarks by Goolsbee were highly consistent with earlier comments by Fed Governor Michael Barr. Barr had previously also emphasized that, given that US inflation remains above target and elevated oil prices are further pushing up inflation, interest rates may need to remain unchanged “for some time.” In addition, Barr likewise pointed out that although the US labour market appears to be stabilizing, US Fed officials need to see clear evidence of sustained disinflation before considering interest rate cuts. Taken together, these comments highlight the US Fed’s increasingly cautious shift in stance. As geopolitical developments exert a growing influence on the US inflation outlook, the combination of persistent price pressures and external shocks has reinforced expectations that high inflation will last longer, while also creating uncertainty over the feasibility of further policy easing in the near term. For markets, the key point is that after the Russia-Ukraine shock several years ago, energy-driven inflation risks have now been firmly incorporated into the US Fed’s reaction function. As a result, US Fed rate expectations may remain sensitive not only to economic data, but also to developments in the Middle East conflict and their impact on oil prices.
Mar 25, 2026 10:46 - Steel Exports See Modest Gains, High Freight Rates and CIF Prices Dampen Market Acceptance
SMM Flash: Overall, steel export quotations saw relatively small increases today, with most order shipment schedules concentrated in May and June. Recently, as international crude oil prices continued to rise, ocean freight rates increased sharply, and most traders' CIF quotations were too high to secure deals. Meanwhile, according to an SMM survey, taking the Vietnamese market as an example, the CIF prices of supplies from India, Russia, and other sources also rose significantly, and their advantage over local supplies was no longer prominent, resulting in low market acceptance.
Mar 24, 2026 18:06 - What Could Change if Middle East Aluminum Trade Reroutes—and Supply Becomes Substitutable
Strait of Hormuz disruptions and Iran tensions are driving up aluminum prices and premiums. Aluminium Bahrain and Qatalum have cut output, while feedstock is tight. Rerouting via Port of Sohar or Saudi ports raises costs and delays. Buyers are turning to China, India, Russia, Canada, and scrap to offset risk. Prolonged disruption could reduce Middle East market share and reprice it as higher-risk supply.
Mar 24, 2026 17:22 - China’s Copper Cathode Imports Declined in 2026, While the Share of EQ Copper Imports Continued to Rise
According to the latest data disclosed by the General Administration of Customs, China’s imported copper cathode market, while maintaining the 2025 baseline, is facing dual challenges: the continued rise in the share of EQ copper and whether global supply will continue to be diverted. China’s cumulative copper cathode imports in January-February 2026 totaled 356,900 mt, down 33.13% YoY.
Mar 24, 2026 09:41
Announcements
Dear User, Hello! To better assist upstream and downstream enterprises in the industry chain in monitoring market fluctuations and promptly reflecting the spot market prices, thereby reducing transaction risks and costs in the metal market, and continuously improving and deepening the research on the metal industry chain, SMM, after a period of preparation and market research, plans to introduce new price points starting from November 1. These include Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery, and Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery, among others, for market reference. I. General Principles of SMM Price Methodology Shanghai Metals Market (hereinafter referred to as SMM) is a fully independent third-party service provider and does not participate in any substantive transactions. Instead, it acts as a market observer or organizer, maintaining close communication with buyers and sellers in transactions and providing relevant services to the market. SMM continuously develops, reviews, and revises its methodology through communication with industry professionals, adopting the most common product specifications, trade terms, and conditions in the industry, while giving equal importance to normal transactions that meet standard specifications. SMM reserves the right to exclude any price information deemed unreliable or unrepresentative from its pricing assessments. SMM publishes daily metal spot prices (or price indices, including the Chinese market, markets outside China, and global markets), commonly referred to as SMM prices. SMM has established corresponding methodologies for all published SMM prices (all of which are available for reference on SMM’s official website, www.smm.cn ). These methodologies specify the methods and procedures for generating and publishing SMM prices, which are strictly adhered to. To align with the actual conditions of the spot market, SMM may make necessary revisions to the SMM price methodology, which will be announced on the SMM official website before formal implementation. For any questions or suggestions regarding SMM prices or their methodologies, please contact SMM customer service (contact information can be found on the SMM official website, www.smm.cn ). This document outlines the standards for establishing price points such as Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery, and Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery. The purpose of this standard is to establish a transparent and verifiable mechanism for SMM price determination. II. Formation of SMM Price Points for Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery, etc. 2.1 Definition SMM price points for Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery, etc., are formed and published by SMM in accordance with this methodology. They can be used by trading parties as reference for spot trade settlement of these price points. 2.2 New Metal-Related Price Points Added by SMM Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery, etc. 2.3 Quotation Generation Method SMM collects data for evaluating price points such as Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery, and Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery through data collection (i.e., gathering raw data information that meets SMM standards). This includes bid and ask quotes provided by data providers for transactions not concluded on the same day, as well as actual transaction prices for spot trades provided by data providers. 2.4 Data Collection Method SMM price analysts collect data for price points such as Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery, Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery, Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery, and Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery regularly (between 9:30 AM and 11:15 AM on each trading day) via phone, QQ, WeChat, fax, and email. This data may include prices of concluded transactions on the same day, companies’ expected most likely prices for pending transactions, and offers. 2.5 Product Standards Price Point Name Reference Standard Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery Powder below 200 mesh or 1-5 mm particles. Selenium content not less than 99.5%, other elements unspecified. Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery Powder below 200 mesh or 1-5 mm particles. Selenium content not less than 99.9%, other elements unspecified. Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery Powder below 200 mesh or 1-5 mm particles. Selenium content not less than 99.9%, other elements unspecified. Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB Powder below 200 mesh or 1-5 mm particles. Selenium content not less than 99.9%, other elements unspecified. Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery Rod or ingot form. Cadmium content 99.99%, other elements unspecified. Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery Rod or ingot form. Cadmium content 99.99%, other elements unspecified. Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery Rod or ingot form. Cadmium content 99.99%, other elements unspecified. 2.6 Pricing Unit and Presentation Price Point Name Unit Selenium Powder 99.5% min Europe Delivery USD/lb Selenium Powder 99.9% min India Delivery INR/kg Selenium Powder 99.9% min USA Delivery USD/lb Selenium Powder 99.9% min Russia FOB USD/lb Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min USA Delivery USD/lb Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min Europe Delivery USD/lb Cadmium Ingot 99.99% min India Delivery INR/kg 2.7 Delivery Method Pick-up from relevant warehouses. 2.8 Payment Method Cash payment or wire transfer. Other terms handled as per常规. 2.9 Update Time Before 11:30 AM on each trading day. III. Methodology Changes All markets evolve, and SMM has a responsibility to ensure that the methodologies for market reporting keep pace with these changes. Therefore, SMM regularly conducts internal reviews of the appropriateness of its methodologies based on industry feedback. For all substantive but non-urgent potential revisions, SMM will follow a formal external consultation process. Major changes will be announced with a notice period of at least 28 days, inviting industry comments, unless special circumstances, particularly force majeure (natural disasters, war, exchange bankruptcy, etc.), necessitate a shorter notice period. SMM is committed to carefully reviewing all comments on proposed methodology changes. However, in some cases, it may be necessary to make changes to the methodology against the wishes of some market participants. Additionally, SMM has a formal methodology consultation process. Shanghai Metals Market Information Technology Co., Ltd. Precious Metals Team November 1, 2025
PriceNov 1, 2025 17:37
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