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In May, the global aluminum market continued the core pattern of LME outperforming SHFE with divergent trends. The most-traded SHFE aluminum contract moved sideways in the doldrums, while LME aluminum maintained strength supported by low inventory and geopolitical premiums, with both seeing slight corrections at month-end. This month's market-driving logic revolved around Middle East ceasefire negotiations, rising expectations for US Fed interest rate hikes, divergence in inventory in and outside China, and accelerating export transmission, further highlighting the divergence between domestic and overseas aluminum price trends. The SHFE/LME aluminum price ratio declined further from the April average of 7.03 to the May average of 6.66, with the inverted price spread between domestic and overseas markets widening, as the trend of overseas aluminum prices outperforming SHFE aluminum continued to deepen. May Aluminum Price Review: Similar Pace but Intensifying Divergence in Strength China · The Most-Traded SHFE Aluminum Contract The contract opened low at around 24,800 yuan/mt at the beginning of the month. After the holiday, it pulled back rapidly due to high domestic inventory and weaker-than-expected downstream demand, hitting the monthly low of 24,075 yuan/mt on May 7. In mid-month, it rebounded to 24,620 yuan/mt driven by positive signals from the China-US meeting. In the latter part of the month, it pulled back to 24,375 yuan/mt as ceasefire expectations heated up combined with off-season drag. Ex-China · LME Aluminum The contract opened at $3,480/mt at the beginning of the month. In mid-month, it rallied to $3,680/mt (the monthly high and a four-year high) supported by supply disruptions and continued destocking. At month-end, it corrected to $3,628/mt, impacted by news that a US-Iran ceasefire agreement was 95% reached. In terms of price-driving factors, geopolitics remained the core common variable for aluminum prices in and outside China this month. Production cuts in the Middle East and shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz continued to provide a shortage premium for LME aluminum. The price divergence stemmed from dual differences in macro policy and fundamentals—slow destocking from high inventory levels in China constrained SHFE aluminum's rebound space, while historically low inventory and a high premium structure outside China provided strong support for LME aluminum prices. Core Inventory Indicators: Extreme Divergence Between Domestic and Overseas Inventory with Contrasting Destocking Pace China · Gradual Decline from High Levels, Pressure Persists Social inventory began to pull back from the high of 1.456 million mt at the beginning of May, reaching approximately 1.401 million mt by month-end, with only about 55,000 mt destocked over the entire month. The destocking pace was slow, with inventory remaining at a near six-year high for the same period. SHFE warrants recorded 485,500 mt on May 29, still showing inventory buildup on a weekly basis, confirming ample spot supply in China. Ex-China · 20-Year Low, Structural Deficit Becomes Evident LME total inventory declined from approximately 363,000 mt at the beginning of the month to 338,000 mt at month-end, a decrease of approximately 25,000 mt over the month, with inventory levels at historically extreme lows. LME aluminum Cash-3M premiums closed at $92.53/mt at month-end, widening significantly from approximately $29/mt at the beginning of the month. Japan's Q3 spot premiums rose, premiums in Europe and the US continued to climb, and the rigid supply gap outside China provided sustained and strong support for LME aluminum. Macro and Fundamentals Intertwined: Geopolitical Dynamics and Rate Hike Expectations Dominating Sentiment Geopolitical Variables: Repeated Ceasefire Negotiations At the beginning of the month, the US military launched airstrikes on southern Iran, with military frictions between the two sides recurring. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained disrupted, and geopolitical risk premiums climbed. At month-end, a US-Iran framework agreement was reportedly 95% complete, and a 60-day temporary ceasefire draft emerged. Expectations for the resumption of strait navigation warmed, and geopolitical premiums converged significantly. On the morning of May 28, both SHFE aluminum and LME aluminum plunged. US Fed Expectations: Hawkish Pressure US April CPI came in at 3.4% YoY, with core PCE reaching 2.8%. Inflation stickiness, compounded by Middle East conflicts pushing oil prices above $90/barrel, led hawkish US Fed officials to release signals of "raising rates at any time." Market expectations for a 25bp rate hike within the year surged abruptly, and a stronger US dollar continued to weigh on the demand outlook for non-ferrous metals. IV. Current Core Market Trades and Arbitrage Strategies (Including Divergence in Capital Behavior) Based on the current SHFE and LME fundamentals, inventory pace, and LME curve structure, the aluminum market overall exhibits a cautious unidirectional and arbitrage-dominated trading pattern. In particular, SHFE-LME cross-market reverse arbitrage (selling SHFE and buying LME) has become the core market play. Capital behavior among market participants has shown clear divergence, mainly falling into three categories: 1. Early-positioning capital (light long positions in reverse arbitrage) Some trading capital has positioned reverse arbitrage ahead of time based on the logic that China's inventory inflection point has already appeared. The core expectation of such capital is that as China's inventory gradually enters a destocking channel, accelerated destocking is highly likely to follow, rapidly easing China's high inventory pressure. The weak SHFE aluminum pattern is expected to be corrected, and the depressed SHFE-LME ratio has clear room for recovery, warranting early light positioning to capture the ratio rebound. 2. Wait-and-see cautious capital (staying on the sidelines for now) The majority of market capital has maintained a wait-and-see stance, with two core concerns: First, China is currently only experiencing slow destocking, and its sustainability is questionable during the off-season, as inventory pressure has not been substantially cleared and SHFE aluminum lacks sufficient rebound momentum. Second, LME is currently in a deep backwardation structure, making roll and extension costs for LME aluminum bulls extremely high, with significant cost erosion and high open interest pressure for holding long-term reverse arbitrage positions. Combined with the entrenched short-term pattern of LME outperforming SHFE, the price spread still risks further widening. Therefore, this segment of capital has chosen to wait for confirmed signals of accelerated destocking in China before entering the market. 3. Previously trapped capital (open interest under pressure, caught in a dilemma) Some positions that were established earlier to set up SHFE-LME reverse arbitrage are currently slightly underwater. Recently, LME has been continuously driven higher by geopolitical risks while SHFE has been range-bound and weak, with the divergence between LME outperforms SHFE intensifying, causing the ratio to remain persistently low and unrealized losses to emerge. Meanwhile, LME contango fees have risen sharply, long positions carrying costs continue to increase, and the pressure of holding trapped positions has further intensified. In the short term, these positions are caught in a dilemma, highly dependent on the subsequent pace of China's inventory destocking to restore the spread. Overall, the sole core inflection variable for SHFE-LME reverse arbitrage is currently the pace of domestic inventory destocking. Once weekly inventory drawdowns continue to widen and accelerated destocking is confirmed, it will directly drive a reversal in three types of capital behavior: sidelined capital entering the market en masse, trapped positions getting unwound, and early-entry positions realizing profits, triggering a rapid recovery in the ratio. Looking ahead to June, the aluminum market's core focus centers on three dimensions: first, whether the US-Iran ceasefire agreement can be formally signed and the pace of resuming navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, which will directly determine the extent of geopolitical premium convergence — if the agreement materializes and Middle Eastern aluminum supply gradually recovers, the prior support logic for LME aluminum faces correction risk; second, whether domestic inventory destocking can accelerate — continued export growth and import suppression will keep driving destocking, and the magnitude of destocking will determine SHFE aluminum's upside elasticity. The US Fed's June FOMC meeting is highly likely to keep rates unchanged, but a hawkish tone and sticky inflation will continue to suppress interest rate cut expectations, with a stronger US dollar maintaining sustained pressure on non-ferrous metals. Overall, the aluminum market in June is expected to continue the pattern where LME outperforms SHFE, though the degree of divergence is likely to narrow. LME aluminum is expected to hover at highs amid the tug-of-war between geopolitical premium convergence and rigid ex-China supply deficits, with downside room constrained by low inventory and high premiums. [ Data source disclaimer: Data other than publicly available information is derived from public information, market communication, and SMM's internal database models, processed by SMM for reference only and does not constitute decision-making advice. ] Data source: SMM

SMM News, May 29: Metals market: As of the midday close, domestic base metals rose nearly across the board. SHFE copper was up 0.86%, SHFE aluminum up 0.19%, SHFE lead down 0.45%, SHFE zinc up 1.05%, SHFE tin up 1.31%, and SHFE nickel edged down. In addition, the most-traded casting aluminum futures edged up, the most-traded alumina contract was up 1.08%, the most-traded lithium carbonate contract up 0.9%, the most-traded silicon metal contract up 0.12%, and the most-traded polysilicon futures contract up 0.45%. Ferrous metals mostly rose. Iron ore was up 0.77%, rebar up 0.38%, hot-rolled coil up 0.47%, and stainless steel down 0.57%. Coking coal and coke: coking coal edged up, and the most-traded coke contract was up 0.42%. Overseas base metals, as of 11:41, LME metals fell nearly across the board. LME copper was down 0.41%, LME aluminum down 0.68%, LME lead down 0.12%, LME zinc up 0.18%, LME tin down 1.61%, and LME nickel down 0.52%. Precious metals, as of 11:41, COMEX gold was down 0.1% and COMEX silver down 0.26%. Domestic precious metals: the most-traded SHFE gold contract was up 1.59% and the most-traded SHFE silver contract up 1.86%. In addition, as of the midday close, the most-traded platinum futures contract was up 0.89% and the most-traded palladium futures contract down 1.45%. As of the midday close, the most-traded Europe containerized freight contract was up 0.62%, closing at 3,016 points. As of 11:41 on May 29, midday futures quotes for selected contracts: Spot cargo and fundamentals Aluminum: On May 29, SMM A00 aluminum (Foshan) was quoted at 24,060, up 50, at a discount of 225 to the current-month contract, narrowing by 5. Futures edged up today, and spot cargo in South China was generally stable with slight fall. Absolute prices remained at relatively low levels and inventory saw significant drawdowns. In the morning, most holders continued to hold prices firm for shipments... Macro front China: [ CCPIT: Global Trade Friction Index Remained at High Level in March ] This morning (May 29), the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) held a press conference to release the latest Global Trade Friction Index. Data showed that in March this year, the global trade friction index remained at a high level. Composite index, the global trade friction index stood at 104 in March 2026, remaining at a high level. The value of trade involved in global trade friction measures fell 29.1% YoY but rose 2.8% MoM. Country-specific indices, among the 20 countries (regions) monitored, the top 3 were the US, India, and the EU. The US accounted for the largest amount involved in global trade friction measures, ranking first in 11 out of the past 12 months. Wang Yifei, spokesperson of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), stated that in terms of industry indices, among the 13 major industries within the monitoring scope, trade friction measures were concentrated in the electronics, chemicals, transportation equipment, and machinery equipment industries, with the electronics industry ranking first in the trade friction index. (CCTV News) [PBOC Reverse Repo Operations Recorded a Net Withdrawal of 30 Billion Yuan for the Day and a Net Injection of 104.4 Billion Yuan for the Week] The PBOC conducted 123 billion yuan of 7-day reverse repo operations today. As 153 billion yuan of 7-day reverse repos matured today, a net withdrawal of 30 billion yuan was achieved for the day. This week, the PBOC conducted 908.9 billion yuan of reverse repo operations. As a total of 500 billion yuan of 1-year MLF and 304.5 billion yuan of reverse repos matured this week, a net injection of 104.4 billion yuan was achieved for the week. (Jin10 Data APP)(Jin10 Data APP) US Dollar: As of 11:41, the US dollar index rose 0.1% to 99.1. Fed's Musalem said on Thursday that, like several other Fed policymakers, he believed the "easing bias" language should have been removed from the post-meeting statement last month, thereby creating the possibility of an interest rate hike. "I supported the rate decision, but I believe the easing bias no longer aligns with the economic outlook and the balance of risks," Musalem said. Blerina Uruci, chief US economist at T. Rowe Price, said the market may still be underestimating the likelihood of further policy tightening by the US Fed. In her report, Uruci noted that since early May, the Iran conflict has lasted longer than expected, oil prices have risen, and US economic growth has remained resilient. While the US Fed can look through a temporary energy shock, sustained oil and import price pressures could affect inflation expectations, wage dynamics, and enterprise pricing behavior. Uruci shifted her base case to the federal funds rate remaining unchanged over the next 12 months. She assigned a 45% probability to rates staying unchanged, a 35% probability of a rate hike by year-end or early 2027, and a 20% probability of an interest rate cut. According to the CME "FedWatch": the probability of the US Fed keeping rates unchanged through June was 99.4%, with a 0.6% probability of a cumulative 25-basis-point rate hike. The probability of the US Fed keeping rates unchanged through July was 93%, with a 6.9% probability of a cumulative 25-basis-point rate hike. (Jin10 Data APP) A series of economic data confirmed market concerns about US inflation, while economic activity sent mixed signals. US durable goods orders rose 7.9% in April, easily surpassing the Wall Street Journal's market consensus expectations of 3.5%; however, this figure was largely driven by a surge in non-defense aircraft equipment orders. The second estimate of Q1 GDP growth was unexpectedly revised down from 2% to 1.6%. Weekly initial jobless claims rose more than expected, increasing from an upwardly revised 210,000 to 215,000, suggesting an acceleration in the pace of enterprise layoffs. PCE inflation accelerated as expected, rising from 3.5% to 3.8%. (Jin10 Data APP) Data: Today will see the release of France's preliminary May CPI m/m, France's final Q1 GDP y/y, Germany's seasonally adjusted May unemployment change, Germany's seasonally adjusted May unemployment rate, Germany's preliminary May CPI m/m, Canada's March GDP m/m, and the US May Chicago PMI, among other data. In addition, attention should be paid to: 2027 FOMC voter and Richmond Fed President Barkin participating in a fireside chat at a conference hosted by Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School; 2026 FOMC voter and Minneapolis Fed President Kashkari participating in an exchange event at Korea University; Bank of England Governor Bailey delivering a speech; 2028 FOMC voter and Kansas City Fed President Schmid delivering a speech; US Fed Governor Bowman delivering a speech; and 2026 FOMC voter and Philadelphia Fed President Paulsen delivering a speech on the economic outlook. Crude oil: As of 11:41, both benchmarks declined, with WTI down 1.26% and Brent down 0.85%. The market expected a possible US-Iran ceasefire extension agreement, putting oil prices under pressure. Meanwhile, the back-and-forth nature of bilateral agreement negotiations also led to heightened volatility in oil prices. The US and Iran are nearing a historic 60-day ceasefire and maritime corridor unblocking agreement, but contradictory statements from senior officials on both sides indicate that core disagreements over Iran's nuclear plan and control of the Strait of Hormuz persist, leaving significant uncertainty over whether a final deal can be reached. According to Xinhua News Agency, US officials stated that US-Iran negotiators had largely reached agreement on the terms of a memorandum of understanding on the 26th, pending approval from senior leadership on both sides. The Iranian side stated it had obtained the necessary approval and was ready to sign. US negotiators briefed Trump on the details of the memorandum of understanding. "The President told the mediators that he would like to take a few days to consider the matter." Meanwhile, according to CCTV News, the Iranian side stated that as of now, Iran has not agreed to any memorandum of understanding, nor has it confirmed to Pakistani mediators that it has approved the memorandum. In addition, Iran explicitly stated that it had not made any commitments on the nuclear issue during negotiations with the US. (Wallstreetcn) US Treasury Secretary Bessent: Oil prices will be lower than pre-conflict levels. Nearly 2,000 ships are waiting for port departures in the Gulf, and supply on the other end of the oil market will be very ample. (Jin10 Data APP) South Korean government officials said on the 28th that the South Korean government decided to ease mandatory oil reserve requirements for private enterprises starting from the 29th to release private oil reserves to the market. The country has not yet decided when to release national oil reserves, keeping them as a "last card" to deal with potential oil crises. Yang Ki-wook, an official from South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, announced on the same day that starting from the 29th, the government will reduce the mandatory oil reserve requirement for private oil companies from 40 days to 20 days, releasing oil reserves equivalent to 20 days of consumption. He stated that this measure was to fulfill commitments made to the International Energy Agency. (Jin10 Data APP) Spot market overview: ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ►

According to two US officials, negotiators from the US and Iran reached a framework agreement on a memorandum of understanding. The 60-day memorandum was designed to extend the ceasefire and initiate negotiations over Iran's nuclear issue, though it still required final approval from US President Trump. Under the terms outlined in the memorandum, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would have "unrestricted passage," and the US would gradually lift its naval blockade of the region. Meanwhile, Iran pledged not to develop nuclear weapons, while the US committed to holding discussions on sanctions relief and the unfreezing of Iranian funds.

[Rising Interest Rate Cut Expectations Boost Market Sentiment; Aluminum Prices Continue LME Outperforms SHFE Sideways Pattern] On the domestic front, driven by improved export profits, aluminum semis exports recovered somewhat and are expected to remain at a relatively high level in the short term. However, the pace of inventory destocking in China remained slow, spot aluminum transactions were lackluster, and downstream purchasing remained cautious, limiting SHFE aluminum's upside room. Overall, aluminum prices are expected to continue the LME outperforms SHFE sideways pattern in the short term.

SMM News, May 29: Metals market: Overnight, domestic base metals mostly rose. SHFE copper was up 1.17%. SHFE aluminum was up 0.39%, SHFE lead was down 0.24%. SHFE zinc was up 0.89%. SHFE tin was up 2.66%. SHFE nickel was up 0.61%. In addition, the most-traded alumina futures contract was up 0.63%, and the most-traded casting aluminum futures contract was up 0.39%. Overnight, ferrous metals mostly fell. Iron ore and hot-rolled coil edged down, stainless steel edged up 0.03%, and rebar was down 0.1%. Coking coal and coke: the most-traded coking coal futures contract was down 0.23%, and the most-traded coke futures contract was up 0.08%. Overnight, overseas market metals saw LME base metals rise across the board. LME copper was up 1.71%. LME aluminum was up 1.47%, LME lead was up 0.9%. LME zinc was up 1.44%. LME tin was up 2.47%. LME nickel was up 1.06%. Overnight precious metals : A weaker US dollar drove gold to reverse from losses to gains. Overnight COMEX gold ultimately rose 1.02%, and COMEX silver was up 1.36%. Overnight the most-traded SHFE gold contract was up 1.91%, and the most-traded SHFE silver contract was up 2.71%. As of 7:24 AM on May 29, overnight closing prices: Macro front China: [The State Council issued the Urban Renewal 15th Five-Year Plan: increasing improvement-oriented housing supply based on city-specific policies and regulating the development of the housing rental market] The State Council issued the Urban Renewal 15th Five-Year Plan. The plan proposed conducting a comprehensive survey of existing urban asset resources, promoting classified disposal of supplied but undeveloped land and projects under construction, and revitalizing idle and inefficient old factory buildings, commercial office spaces, commodity housing, and public housing. It called for accelerating the construction of a new model for real estate development, improving fundamental systems for commodity housing development, financing, and sales. The plan aims to optimize the supply of affordable housing, strengthen housing security for low-income urban families with housing difficulties, better meet the basic housing needs of working-class groups with housing difficulties and modest incomes, and gradually address the transitional housing difficulties of new urban residents and young people. It will increase improvement-oriented housing supply based on city-specific policies and regulate the development of the housing rental market. The plan promotes the transformation and development of real estate developers and their participation in urban renewal. It will deepen the reform of the housing provident fund system, expand its scope of use, strive to meet the diversified housing needs of contributors at different stages, and support flexible employment workers in participating in the housing provident fund system. It will also strengthen and regulate the management of existing urban infrastructure assets. [The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) organized a video conference to arrange and deploy national energy supply assurance work for the summer peak] Recently, the NDRC organized the 2026 national video conference on energy supply assurance for the summer peak, thoroughly studying and implementing the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the CPC and all plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee, earnestly implementing the decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and arranging energy supply assurance work for the summer peak. The meeting required that all regions and relevant enterprises fully recognize the importance, complexity, and long-term nature of summer peak energy supply assurance tasks, closely monitor key regions and critical periods, conduct rolling assessments, strengthen dispatching, fully implement all supply assurance measures, prepare and utilize supply assurance contingency plans, and ensure safe and stable energy operations during the summer peak. It called for ensuring stable generation and supply, securing the production and supply of primary energy sources such as coal and natural gas, strengthening coal transportation for power generation, and meeting peak power generation demand. It urged continued promotion of efficient fulfillment of medium and long-term contracts for electricity, thermal coal, and natural gas. It emphasized strengthening power equipment operation and maintenance management to achieve stable and reliable output, optimizing power dispatching, and fully leveraging the peak-shaving capacity of various power supply sources. (NDRC) [Two departments jointly lay out systematic plans for AI metrology capacity building] The State Administration for Market Regulation and the NDRC jointly issued the Guidelines for AI Metrology System and Capacity Building (2026 Edition), systematically laying out AI metrology capacity building. The Guidelines are organized around six major sections—basic support, general technology, core technology, metrology technical specifications, metrology services for industry, and intelligent empowerment of metrology—bridging the "last mile" between laboratory innovation and industry application. Focusing on the challenge of "measurement inaccuracy" to make AI more trustworthy, the Guidelines deploy key technology research on AI system internal state monitoring and characterization to address pain points such as algorithmic "black boxes" and poor decision explainability, promoting the establishment of reliable, safe, and trustworthy metrology standards for AI, achieving "measurable, comparable, and traceable" AI technical performance. (CCTV News) [SHFE takes restrictive position-opening regulatory measures against certain clients] SHFE announced that on May 28, 2026, three groups of accounts with actual control relationships exceeded the intraday position-opening trading volume limits on relevant contracts, reaching the exchange's action threshold. The trading behavior of the above clients violated Article 16 of the Shanghai Futures Exchange Measures for the Administration of Abnormal Trading Behavior. The exchange decided to impose restrictive position-opening regulatory measures on the relevant clients in the corresponding products. (Jin10 Data APP) [Chinese automakers surpass the 100 million cumulative production and sales milestone for the first time] On the afternoon of May 28, SAIC delivered its 100 millionth vehicle, marking the birth of the first auto group in Chinese automotive history to surpass 100 million units in cumulative production and sales, in Shanghai. The emergence of China's first "100-million-unit automaker" is a vivid testament to over 70 years of Chinese automotive industry development from nothing to something, from weak to strong, and represents an important milestone for "Made in China." (Xinhua) US dollar: Overnight, the US dollar index fell 0.22% to 99.01. According to Wallstreetcn, April PCE inflation came in below expectations MoM, Q1 GDP annualized growth was revised down to 1.6%, new home sales declined sharply, and initial jobless claims also slightly exceeded expectations. Weak US data combined with ceasefire hopes jointly boosted interest rate cut expectations. According to data released Thursday by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the US April PCE price index was 3.8% YoY, in line with expectations, the highest level since May 2023, with the Iran war driving energy prices higher as the main factor. The Fed's preferred inflation gauge—the core PCE price index (excluding food and energy)—rose 3.3% YoY in April, hitting a new high since November 2023. Meanwhile, another BEA report showed that US Q1 GDP annualized growth was revised down to 1.6%, below the initial estimate of 2.0%. The coexistence of weak consumption and elevated inflation made the market's judgment on the Fed's monetary policy direction increasingly complex. (Wallstreetcn) Other currencies: Meeting minutes released Thursday showed that the European Central Bank's decision to hold rates unchanged last month was a "difficult choice" for some policymakers; given signs of persistently high inflation, they found it hard to ignore the shock triggered by energy factors. The ECB noted in the minutes: "Several members indicated that this decision was a difficult choice; had a rate hike proposal been on the agenda for this meeting, they would not have opposed it." The ECB also stated: "Since the last meeting, the value of 'pausing rate hikes to preserve policy options' has diminished; at the same time, the approach of taking no monetary policy action and merely adopting a 'temporary disregard' attitude toward the current situation has become increasingly less appropriate." (Jin10 Data APP) Macro: Today will see the release of France's May CPI monthly preliminary reading, France's Q1 GDP annual final reading, Germany's May seasonally adjusted unemployment figures, Germany's May seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, Germany's May CPI monthly preliminary reading, Canada's March GDP monthly rate, and the US May Chicago PMI, among other data. In addition, attention should be paid to: 2027 FOMC voter and Richmond Fed President Barkin participating in a fireside chat at a conference hosted by Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School; 2026 FOMC voter and Minneapolis Fed President Kashkari participating in an exchange event at Korea University; Bank of England Governor Bailey delivering a speech; 2028 FOMC voter and Kansas City Fed President Schmid delivering a speech; Fed Governor Bowman delivering a speech; and 2026 FOMC voter and Philadelphia Fed President Paulsen delivering a speech on the economic outlook. Crude oil: Thursday saw US-Iran ceasefire rumors flip-flopping, with oil prices swinging wildly throughout the day before closing flat. Reports of a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran sent WTI futures plunging from $91 to near $87—before instantly rebounding to near $90. Ultimately, overnight WTI was down 0.17% and Brent was up 0.16%. (Wallstreetcn) According to CCTV, on May 28 local time, US and Iranian negotiators reached an agreement framework on a 60-day memorandum of understanding, intended to extend the ceasefire and launch negotiations on Iran's nuclear issue, but still requiring final approval from US President Trump. US officials said the terms of the agreement were largely finalised before the 26th, but both sides still needed approval from their respective top leadership. The US side said Iran subsequently indicated it had obtained the necessary authorization and was ready to sign, but Iranian officials had not yet confirmed this. US officials said negotiators had briefed Trump on the final agreement, but he did not immediately approve it, stating he "needed a few days to consider." According to CCTV, on May 28 local time, Saeed Aghalou, a member of the Iranian negotiating delegation's media team, stated that as of now, Iran has not agreed to any memorandum of understanding, nor has it confirmed to Pakistani mediators that it has approved the memorandum. Furthermore, he explicitly stated that Iran made no commitments on nuclear issues during negotiations with the US. A source close to the negotiating team said the text of the potential memorandum of understanding has not been finalised or confirmed. Western media reports claiming that an agreement between Iran and the US has been finalised are not true. Iran has not informed Pakistani mediators that the text has been finalised. Once finalised, Iran will announce the matter to Pakistani mediators and the public. Until then, any claims by Western sources that the matter has been "finalised" are not credible. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said on social media on the 28th that 23 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours. (Xinhua) US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed: US crude oil imports from Iraq fell to zero last week, hitting a record low. For the week ending May 22, US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) inventory decreased by 9.063 million barrels to 365.1 million barrels, a decline of 2.42%. Commercial crude oil inventory excluding strategic reserves decreased by 3.327 million barrels to 442 million barrels, a decline of 0.75%. US commercial crude oil inventory excluding strategic reserves for the week ending May 22 was at its lowest since the week of February 27, 2026. US EIA Strategic Petroleum Reserve inventory for the week ending May 22 was at its lowest since the week of April 12, 2024. (Jin10 Data APP)