[SMM Daily Review: High-Grade NPI May Still Have Downside Room Under the Dual Pressure of End-Users and Steel Scrap] March 24 News: SMM's upstream sentiment factor for high-grade NPI was 2.88, up 0.01 MoM, while the downstream sentiment factor for high-grade NPI was 1.59, down 0.04 MoM.
Mar 24, 2026 11:37Strait 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 17:22SMM Morning Meeting Summary: Overnight, LME copper opened at $11,816/mt. After dipping to $11,798/mt in early trading, its center rose sharply to a high of $12,395/mt, then hovered at highs, and finally closed at $12,221/mt, up 3.27%. Trading volume reached 52,000 lots, and open interest stood at 292,000 lots, down 944 lots from the previous trading day, mainly reflecting bears cutting positions overall. Overnight, the most-traded SHFE copper 2605 contract opened at 95,010 yuan/mt. After the opening, its center moved higher to a high of 95,900 yuan/mt, after which copper prices maintained a fluctuating trend at highs. Near the close, it dipped to 94,530 yuan/mt and finally closed at 93,840 yuan/mt, up 2.12%. Trading volume reached 120,000 lots, and open interest stood at 198,000 lots, down 6,741 lots from the previous trading day, mainly reflecting bears cutting positions throughout the day.
Mar 24, 2026 09:12Dalian iron ore futures rose in early trading and pulled back in the afternoon. The most-traded contract, I2605, finally closed at 824 yuan/mt, up 0.55% from the previous trading session. Spot prices rose by about 2-5 yuan from the previous trading day. Traders were relatively active in offering quotes, while steel mills made fewer inquiries and purchased cautiously, with overall transactions in the spot market remaining average. In terms of fundamental data, blast furnace maintenance intensity continued to pull back this week, with maintenance affecting hot metal production by 1.65 million mt, down 206,500 mt WoW. It was expected to decrease by a further 180,000 mt next week to 1.4684 million mt, indicating a gradual improvement on the demand side. In terms of supply, tight supply still persisted in the market, and there was no news of any significant adjustment, which remained supportive for iron ore in the short term. However, some funds, out of concern over downstream risks, tended to stay on the sidelines, and overall wait-and-see sentiment was strong. In summary, iron ore prices were expected to hover at highs in the short term.
Mar 24, 2026 16:55[SMM Tungsten Daily Review: Slight Price Collapse in the Scrap Tungsten Market, Ore and Upstream Smelting Products Consolidated Sideways] SMM News, March 23 In the short term, prices across the tungsten industry chain still showed divergence between primary and recycled materials. China was currently in a transition period marked by tightening supply on the raw ore side and a rising utilization rate of recycled materials. Smelters still needed some time to adjust their restocking practices and complete the adaptation and transition from a long-term contract pricing model led by the ore side to a scrap tungsten market procurement model featuring higher-frequency transactions and greater sensitivity to sentiment.
Mar 23, 2026 17:32[SMM Cast Aluminum Alloy Morning Comment: Futures Extended Losses, While Trading Sentiment Recovered Slightly] Market quotes generally moved lower last Friday, with the SMM ADC12 price down 300 yuan/mt to 25,000 yuan/mt. Driven by the price pullback and weekend restocking demand, market trading sentiment recovered somewhat from the previous period, and downstream purchase willingness to buy the dip strengthened, improving transactions for some enterprises. However, overall demand still mainly reflected rigid demand, end-users remained sensitive to price fluctuations, and the pace of restocking stayed cautious. In the short term, ADC12 prices are expected to remain in the doldrums. The pattern of demand being under pressure is unlikely to change in the short term; downstream acceptance of high prices is limited, and coupled with the weak trend in primary aluminum weighing on market sentiment, prices struggled to rise. But with cost support, downside room is also limited. Going forward, close attention should be paid to the trend in primary aluminum and the pace of downstream consumption release.
Mar 23, 2026 08:49Dear Valued Client, To keep pace with the rapid development of the secondary copper industry and meet the market's need for in-depth analysis of the recycling industry and the supply-demand pattern of copper cathode, our company has conducted a deep optimization of our data models. We are now systematically upgrading and adjusting the standards and content of monthly supply-demand balance data related to China's copper scrap, with the following treatment applied to historical data: I. Adjustments Made The following data points have been newly launched: "Copper Scrap New and Old Scrap Production: Domestic Old Scrap: Annual", "Copper Scrap New and Old Scrap Production: Domestic New Scrap: Annual", "Copper Scrap New and Old Scrap Production: Domestic Copper Scrap: Annual", "Copper Scrap New and Old Scrap Production: Domestic Old Scrap - Forecast: Annual", "Copper Scrap New and Old Scrap Production: Domestic New Scrap - Forecast: Annual", and "Copper Scrap New and Old Scrap Production: Domestic Copper Scrap - Forecast: Annual"—a total of six new data points. (Access path for new data: Database - Copper - Copper Scrap - Production - Domestic Copper Scrap Production) II. Historical Data Processing The following four historical data series will cease to be updated starting from December 2025: "Domestic Copper Scrap Supply (Metal Content), ID: a10031747", "SMM Domestic Copper Scrap Supply: YoY, ID: a10031748", "Domestic Copper Scrap Supply (Metal Content) - Forecast, ID: a12731971", and "SMM Domestic Copper Scrap Supply YoY - Forecast, ID: a12731972". Going forward, the new standards will be uniformly applied for data releases, with the revised data traceable back to 2020. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the SMM customer service team at any time. Thank you for your continued support and trust! III. Effective Date February 1, 2026 SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. SMM Copper Research Team Liang Kaihui, 86-21-5159-5826 January 22, 2026
DataJan 22, 2026 15:31SMM launches graded price points for hafnium oxide and crystal hafnium to enhance pricing reference for the hafnium industry.
PriceMar 9, 2026 14:03Dear User, Greetings! To assist secondary aluminum enterprises in accurately grasping the regional supply-demand pattern within the domestic market, obtaining real-time spot aluminum scrap price information from core production areas, effectively reducing information barriers and communication costs in transaction processes, and further improving the price system and research dimensions of the secondary aluminum industry chain, SMM, after multiple rounds of market surveys and data accumulation, plans to revise the content of the original price points. The specific update arrangements are as follows for market reference. Explanation of Modifications to the Original Aluminum Scrap Price Points: The content changes for the following four price points—Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap (Foshan), Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap (Anhui), Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap (Changege), and Shredded Aluminum Cast Scrap (Foshan)—only involve supplementary modifications to the names, specifications, and definitions of the previous price points and do not affect the reference and viewing of corresponding historical prices. 1. Price Point Name: Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap (Foshan) revised to Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap Liquid Aluminum Price (Foshan) Specification: Water yield rate 90-93% revised to Water yield rate 90-93%, Copper >1.5% Definition: Transaction price, self pick-up price at goods yard revised to Liquid aluminum price, settled based on actual metal yield, guidance price for self pick-up at goods yards in the Foshan area. 2. Price Point Name: Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap (Anhui) revised to Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap Liquid Aluminum Price (Anhui) Specification: Water yield rate 90-93% revised to Water yield rate 90-93%, Copper >1.5% Definition: Transaction price, self pick-up price at goods yard revised to Liquid aluminum price, settled based on actual metal yield, guidance price for self pick-up at goods yards in the Anhui area. 3. Price Point Name: Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap (Changege) revised to Shredded Aluminum Tense Scrap Liquid Aluminum Price (Changege) Specification: Water yield rate 90-93% revised to Water yield rate 90-93%, Copper >1.5% Definition: Transaction price, self pick-up price at goods yard revised to Liquid aluminum price, settled based on actual metal yield, guidance price for self pick-up at goods yards in the Changege area. 4. Price Point Name: Shredded Aluminum Cast Scrap (Foshan) revised to Shredded Aluminum Cast Scrap Liquid Aluminum Price (Foshan) Definition: Transaction price, self pick-up price at goods yard revised to Liquid aluminum price, settled based on actual metal yield, guidance price for self pick-up at goods yards in the Foshan area. Effective Time: The modifications to the aforementioned price points will be officially released starting November 12, 2025, and updated every working day. This revision aims to more accurately reflect market price levels through more refined grade classifications and provide market participants with more targeted decision-making references. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Chen Chichang at 021-51595820. SMM Aluminum Industry Research Team November 12, 2025
PriceNov 12, 2025 17:09