Putailai expects its first-half 2026 net profit attributable to shareholders to reach 14-15 billion yuan, up 32.66%-42.14% YoY. The company said global energy transition continued to drive demand for electric vehicles and energy storage, while exports of EV, energy storage and battery-related products remained strong. Against a backdrop of tight upstream material and equipment supply and lagging battery supply chain capacity expansion, shipments of the company's major lithium battery products increased during the period.

[SMM Analysis] Steel Billet Sees Notable YoY Growth, UAE's Decline Hits a New Low By product: Steel billet continued to achieve high growth, while HRC remained the product with the largest decline. In January-May 2026, China's cumulative steel billet exports reached 6.76 million mt (compared with 4.72 million mt in the same period last year), a substantial increase of 2.04 million mt, with growth momentum still strong. This was mainly due to periodic supply-demand mismatch in overseas supply chains and the subsequent impact of global buyers' active inquiries to China, especially the marginal support from purchasing sentiment in markets like Southeast Asia. In contrast, HRC exports plummeted from 10.51 million mt in the same period last year to 7.21 million mt, a decrease of 3.3 million mt, closely related to the implementation of anti-dumping policies on HRC outside China and the high base effect. Data Source: SMM, General Administration of Customs By country: Singapore replaced Djibouti as the top contributor to growth. Its product breakdown pie chart clearly shows that bars (61%) and wire rod (12%) formed the dominant products, together accounting for 73%. As a global shipping and trade settlement hub, Singapore's significant growth was mainly due to concentrated procurement and trade settlement by ASEAN and China-invested construction projects there, providing strong support for China's exports of bars, wire rod, and related infrastructure supporting products. On the decline list, the UAE (down 1.18 million mt), Brazil (down 850,000 mt), Vietnam (down 780,000 mt), and Saudi Arabia (down 570,000 mt) were the main losers, mainly affected by geopolitical uncertainties in the Middle East and the direct impact of trade barrier policies in some regions. Data Source: SMM, General Administration of Customs Outlook According to SMM's latest data on steel export orders, the US-Iran conflict remains volatile in the short term, and amid uncertainty, Middle Eastern buyers will be relatively cautious in procurement. China's export price advantage over other markets continues to narrow, and the overall export order volume is unlikely to improve significantly. However, considering the noticeable decline in sheets & plates transactions last week, some recovery is expected in the short term. Data Source: SMM Copyright and Intellectual Property Statement: This report is independently created or compiled by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "SMM"), and SMM legally enjoys complete copyright and related intellectual property rights. The copyright, trademark rights, domain name rights, commercial data information property rights, and other related intellectual property rights of all content contained in this report (including but not limited to information, articles, data, charts, pictures, audio, video, logos, advertisements, trademarks, trade names, domain names, layout designs, etc.) are owned or held by SMM or its related right holders. The above rights are strictly protected by relevant laws and regulations of the People's Republic of China, such as the Copyright Law of the People's Republic of China, the Trademark Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Anti-Unfair Competition Law of the People's Republic of China, as well as applicable international treaties. Without prior written authorization from SMM, no institution or individual may: 1. Use all or part of this report in any form (including but not limited to reprinting, modifying, selling, transferring, displaying, translating, compiling, disseminating); 2. Disclose the content of this report to any third party; 3. License or authorize any third party to use the content of this report; 4. For any unauthorized use, SMM will legally pursue the legal responsibilities of the infringer, demanding that they bear legal responsibilities including but not limited to contractual breach liability, returning unjust enrichment, and compensating for direct and indirect economic losses. Data Source Statement: (Except for publicly available information, other data in this report are derived from publicly available information (including but not limited to industry news, seminars, exhibitions, corporate financial reports, brokerage reports, data from the National Bureau of Statistics, customs import and export data, various data published by major associations and institutions, etc.), market exchanges, and comprehensive analysis and reasonable inferences made by the research team based on SMM's internal database models. This information is for reference only and does not constitute decision-making advice. SMM reserves the final interpretation right of the terms in this statement and the right to adjust and modify the content of the statement according to actual circumstances.

According to the latest release from the General Administration of Customs, SMM statistics show that China's total manganese ore imports reached 3.0167 million tons​ in June 2026, up 10.59%​ month-on-month and 12.41%​ year-on-year. The total imports for January–June 2026 were approximately 17.4912 million tons, an increase of 3.0319 million tons​ (up 20.97%) compared with the same period in 2025 (approximately 14.4593 million tons).

Novelis Korea announced that Choi Min-young has been appointed the inaugural chair of the Aluminum Committee under the Korea Nonferrous Metals Association (KONMA). The committee will focus on policy development, supply chain resilience, regulatory response and promoting high-quality aluminum recycling. It also aims to expand closed-loop recycling and strengthen the global competitiveness of South Korea's aluminum industry.

Enicor Executive Chairman Tom Bird urged governments to maintain free and fair trade in recycled aluminum, warning that export restrictions and protectionist policies could disrupt global supply chains, reduce investment and increase costs. He said open trade is essential to ensure high-quality recycled aluminum supply, strengthen circular economy development and meet rising demand from key manufacturing industries.

Thrust Capital Partners (TCP) has acquired Quebec-based Alphacasting Inc., a manufacturer of high-precision titanium and aluminum investment castings for the aerospace and defense sectors. The company specializes in high-strength aluminum castings and is Canada's only foundry with titanium casting capabilities. TCP plans to support Alphacasting's operational expansion and long-term growth in the aerospace and defense supply chain.