Nickel prices consolidated at lows and hit bottom this week. Early in the week, expectations for further US Fed interest rate hikes and a stronger US dollar weighed on the most-traded SHFE nickel contract, keeping it under pressure around 124,000 yuan/mt. Mid-week, US June non-farm payrolls data significantly missed expectations, triggering a sharp reversal in macro sentiment. Rate hike expectations cooled abruptly, the US dollar index pulled back quickly, and nickel prices rebounded slightly, leaving the weekly decline at 1.2%. The LME nickel 3M contract also traded under pressure this week, breaching the $17,000 level and falling nearly 2% WoW. In the spot market, SMM #1 refined nickel averaged 127,080 yuan/mt this week, down 4,500 yuan/mt WoW. Jinchuan nickel premiums trended higher this week, climbing to around 2,200 yuan/mt, while mainstream electrodeposited nickel discounts held steady in the 400-400 yuan/mt range. On spot transactions, the sustained drop in nickel prices encouraged bargain-hunting by end-users, but after some downstream players had already stockpiled during the earlier price decline, overall weekly trading activity was moderate. On the macro front, US Labor Department data on July 3 showed that non-farm payrolls increased by only 57,000 in June, roughly half the 113,000 expected and well below the downwardly revised 129,000 for May. The sharper-than-expected cooling in non-farm payrolls data prompted a more cautious assessment of the employment outlook and led investors to re-evaluate the Fed’s monetary policy path. Rate hike expectations cooled markedly, the US dollar index fell to a two-week low, and the US Treasury yield curve steepened steadily. Inventory side, bonded zone inventory in Shanghai stood at around 2,700 mt, flat WoW. China’s social inventory stood at approximately 130,000 mt, a WoW buildup of about 1,100 mt. Nickel prices are currently caught between macro disruptions and weak industry fundamentals. In the short term, recovering macro sentiment supports a rebound, but the upside is still capped by high inventory pressure. The most-traded SHFE nickel contract is expected to trade in a core range of 125,000-135,000 yuan/mt next week.

This week (June 29 – July 3), the weekly average Yangshan copper premium B/L transaction price range was $49.78–61.16/mt, QP July, with an average of $55.47/mt. The warrant transaction weekly average price range was $49.55–60.98/mt, QP July, with an average of $55.27/mt. EQ copper CIF B/L was $20.5–30.99/mt, QP July, averaging $25.75/mt. As of July 3, the LME copper to SHFE copper 2607 contract ex-FX SHFE/LME price ratio was 1.1359, with import losses around 163.35 yuan/mt, further narrowing from the prior period (loss of 234.08 yuan/mt). As of Friday, the LME copper nearby spread held a slight contango, with the July-August roll gap at -$21.79/mt. Mainstream high-quality ER copper warrant offers are currently near $70–78/mt, with B/L offers near $68–80/mt; CIF B/L EQ copper traded around $40–50/mt. Yangshan copper premiums extended their uptrend this week, driven by the same logic as last week — earlier market expectations of reduced July port arrivals continued to materialize into actual cargo tightness, gradually revealing price support. On the ratio side, narrowing import losses corroborated the spot logic of tight supply. Overall, this week marks the ongoing transmission from last week's "arrival-cut expectations" into "physical shortage," with supply contraction as the primary boost for premiums, rather than the price ratio or demand-side pull. According to an SMM survey, as of Thursday this week (July 2), China bonded zone copper inventories fell about 1,300 mt WoW from the prior period (June 25) to 39,700 mt. Shanghai bonded inventories dropped 1,100 mt WoW to 35,800 mt, while Guangdong bonded stocks shed 200 mt WoW to 3,900 mt. Bonded zone inventories declined slightly for a second consecutive week, consistent with tighter port arrivals and shrinking available cargoes. The destocking pace picked up from last week (basically flat total), suggesting bonded restocking speeds lagged the consumption pace. Looking ahead, if the tight July port-arrival pattern persists through the month, supply-side support for premiums may hold, though it's worth watching whether momentum from this leg up has been partially priced in. Focus on whether July actual port arrival data will validate the current shortage expectations and whether the spot market may continue shifting to a backwardation structure.

[SMM Silicon-based PV Morning Meeting Summary] Silicon metal: Yesterday, SMM oxygen-blown #553 silicon in east China was at 9,000-9,200 yuan/mt, and #441 silicon was at 9,200-9,400 yuan/mt. On the futures market, the most-traded contract consolidated at 8,400 yuan/mt. With strong support below prices, there is limited downside room, while upside bullish drivers are insufficient. The silicon metal market was stagnant and consolidating at lows. Wafers: In the wafer market, 18X wafer prices are at 0.85-0.88 yuan/piece, 210RN wafers at 0.96-0.98 yuan/piece, and 210N wafers at 1.16-1.18 yuan/piece. Wafer prices have temporarily stopped falling and stabilized.

This week, nickel prices experienced a sharp drop triggered by macro tightening expectations and a supply-side policy reversal. At the beginning of the week, nickel prices were still trading around 136,000 yuan/mt, but were subsequently pressured by a steadily rising US dollar index and higher US Treasury yields, which weighed on base metals prices. Adding to this, market rumors that Indonesia would significantly increase its full-year RKAB nickel ore quota reversed the previous supply contraction narrative of "quota tightening." Under the dual impact of macro and policy shocks, nickel prices fell below multiple support levels, including 130,000 and 127,000 yuan/mt. As of Friday, the cumulative weekly decline was nearly 6%, marking the largest weekly drop in recent months; LME nickel dropped to $16,700/mt, with a weekly loss of about 5%. In the spot market, the average price of SMM #1 refined nickel this week was 131,600 yuan/mt, down 8,250 yuan/mt WoW. The premium for Jinchuan nickel remained stable at 1,300-1,500 yuan/mt, while mainstream electrodeposited nickel discounts were in the -400 to -300 yuan/mt range. Affected by the steep decline in futures prices this week, downstream point-price activity was active and trading improved. On the macro front, the biggest headwind this week came from the strong hawkish signal sent by the US Fed's June FOMC meeting. On June 18, the Fed left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.50%-3.75%, marking the fourth consecutive pause in interest rate cuts. The Fed's Summary of Economic Projections raised the median forecast for the federal funds rate in 2026 to 3.8% from 3.4% in March. This hawkish pivot boosted the US dollar index and pushed US Treasury yields higher, exerting significant pressure on base metals. Domestically, China's LPR quotes on June 22 remained unchanged, with the 1-year LPR at 3.0% and the 5-year and above LPR at 3.5%, continuing expectations of pro-growth policies. On the inventory front, Shanghai bonded zone inventory this week stood at about 2,700 mt, flat WoW. China's social inventory was approximately 129,000 mt, up 2,700 mt WoW. Nickel prices are currently under triple pressure from an abrupt shift in policy expectations, resonance of macro headwinds, and persistently high inventory overhang. The most-traded SHFE nickel contract is expected to trade in a core range of 125,000-135,000 yuan/mt next week.

[SMM Silicon-Based PV Morning Meeting Summary] Silicon metal: SMM oxygen-blown #553 silicon in east China was at 9,100-9,200 yuan/mt yesterday, and #441 silicon was at 9,300-9,400 yuan/mt. The most-traded futures contract hovered around 8,500 yuan/mt. Silicon metal prices continued to move sideways in a narrow range. In recent days, the market has seen no new news disruptions, leading to a stalemate in price changes. Increasing supply put prices under pressure in the short term. Wafer: Market prices for 18X wafers were 0.86-0.9 yuan/piece, 210RN wafers were 0.96-1.00 yuan/piece, and 210N wafers were 1.16-1.2 yuan/piece. Smaller factories have already begun to see transactions at lower prices. 18X wafers are under the most severe pressure, and the high end of the overall price range is trending further downward.

Nickel prices showed a pattern of stopping falling and stabilizing with a fluctuating rebound this week. At the start of the week, the US-Iran peace agreement became the key variable reversing market sentiment; as the geopolitical risk premium rapidly faded, market risk appetite recovered significantly. Meanwhile, the US Fed kept rates unchanged at its June FOMC meeting, in line with market expectations. Driven by the macro sentiment recovery, SHFE and LME nickel prices rose from earlier lows amid fluctuations. The most-traded SHFE nickel contract rebounded from the 135,000 yuan/mt area to near 137,000 yuan/mt, and LME nickel rallied in tandem to above $17,900/mt. This week, the SMM #1 refined nickel average price was 136,112 yuan/mt, up 450 yuan/mt WoW. Jinchuan nickel premiums stabilized at 1,300–1,500 yuan/mt, while mainstream electrodeposited nickel discounts were in the -500 to -400 yuan/mt range. Spot trading activity weakened from the previous week, as the futures price rebound and the completion of purchasing by most end-users left downstream parties largely on the sidelines. On the macro front, the most positive change this week came from the breakthrough in US-Iran relations. The US and Iran reached a peace agreement, and the Strait of Hormuz is expected to fully resume navigation in the near term, a geopolitical positive that boosted risk appetite. Some media outlets reported that the agreement would be officially signed on June 19, after which the Strait of Hormuz would fully reopen. On June 18 Beijing time, the US Fed kept the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.50%–3.75%, marking the fourth consecutive pause in rate cuts. The Fed held its FOMC meeting on June 16-17, and the market had previously priced in a 98.5% probability of an unchanged rate. However, the hawkish signals from this meeting cannot be ignored. The new chair, Warsh, leaned hawkish, and the dot plot showed that half of officials expected at least one rate hike this year. Inventory side, Shanghai Bonded Zone inventory was around 2,700 mt this week, building up by 1,000 mt WoW. China’s social inventory stood at about 126,000 mt, with a slight destocking of roughly 86 mt WoW. Following the US-Iran agreement, expectations of sulfur supply recovery intensified, weakening the cost-support logic. With refined nickel inventories continuing to build up both in and outside China, upside resistance for nickel prices is clear. The most-traded SHFE nickel contract is expected to trade in a core range of 130,000–138,000 yuan/mt.