[SMM Daily Comment: Market Overall Stagnant and Volatile, NPI Structural Trend Continues] June 2 — The SMM high-grade NPI upstream sentiment factor was 3.02, down 0.03 MoM, and the high-grade NPI downstream sentiment factor was 1.93, down 0.01 MoM.

May high-grade NPI prices fell despite tighter costs, as nickel futures retreated, stainless margins weakened, and scrap regained its cost advantage. Indonesian policy and production-cut expectations built a floor, but weak downstream demand capped any rebound.

The Forum Industri Nikel Indonesia (FINI) has formally requested government clarification on the scope of ferro alloy products that will be required to export through PT Danantara Sumberdaya Indonesia (DSI), Indonesia's newly established single-window export body. FINI Chairman Arif Perdana Kusumah said the industry is still awaiting an official commodity list, with the key open question being whether the mandatory DSI routing applies only to ferronickel (FeNi) or also to nickel pig iron (NPI). Ferronickel, a nickel-iron alloy with typical nickel content of 20-40%, is a key feedstock for stainless steel. The uncertainty adds to operational planning challenges for NPI producers as the DSI framework takes shape.

SMM Weekly Stainless Steel Futures Review — week of May 25–29, 2026. Indonesian nickel ore and ferroalloy policy expectations and a low-inventory floor steady the benchmark contract near RMB 14,800/mt in the week of May 25 – May 29.

Indonesia is restricting new investment in nickel smelters producing intermediate products — including nickel pig iron, ferronickel, nickel matte, and mixed hydroxide precipitate — as the government seeks to redirect the industry toward battery materials and green industrial products, according to Rudy Salahuddin, Secretary of the Ministry of Investment and Downstreaming. The remarks were made at a discussion in Jakarta on May 25 focused on advancing equitable value-added growth in Indonesia's nickel downstream sector.

[SMM Daily Comment: Bullish and Bearish Factors Intertwined, NPI Market Continued to Move Sideways] May 26, the SMM upstream sentiment index for high-grade NPI was 3.09, down 0.03 MoM, while the downstream sentiment index for high-grade NPI was 2, flat MoM.