Weak downstream demand continued to weigh on tungsten prices. The average price of wolframite concentrates (≥65%) on May 7 was reported at 700,500 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis), having pulled back more than 33% from its historical high in less than two months. As multiple tungsten enterprises continued to lower their long-term contract prices for the first half of May, extending the two rounds of reductions in April, how will tungsten prices evolve going forward? Multiple Tungsten Enterprises Continue to Lower Long-term Contract Prices for the First Half of May Multiple tungsten enterprises continued to lower their long-term contract prices for the first half of May, with details as follows: A tungsten industry group in Jiangxi released its long-term contract prices for the first half of May. The guidance price for national standard Grade-1 wolframite concentrates for the first half of May 2026 was 720,000 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis) (long-term contract), down 190,000 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis) from the second half of April. Chongyi Zhangyuan Tungsten's long-term contract procurement prices for the first half of May were: 1 55% wolframite concentrates: 700,000 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis), down 185,000 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis) from the previous round; 2 55% scheelite concentrates: 699,000 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis), down 185,000 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis) from the previous round; 3 APT (national standard Grade-0): 1.02 million yuan/mt, down 330,000 yuan/mt from the previous round. Wolframite Concentrates Fell 33.32% in Less Than 2 Months According to SMM, the price spread between tungsten ore long-term contract prices and spot order transaction prices widened to around 200,000, with mainstream mines primarily making shipments under long-term contracts. Spot orders in the market still faced some selling pressure, with transactions remaining difficult and the center continuously shifting downward. However, considering the limited spot order trading volume and the relatively high proportion of long-term contracts in the market, SMM maintained its May 7 prices unchanged for the time being. According to SMM quotes, the price of wolframite concentrates (≥65%) on that day was 700,000–701,000 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis), with an average price of 700,500 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis), flat from the previous trading day. Along with the downward shift in the tungsten price center, the average price of wolframite concentrates (≥65%) at 700,500 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis) on May 7, compared with its historical high average price of 1,050,500 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis) on March 16, showed that in less than 2 months, the average price of wolframite concentrates fell by 350,000 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis), a decline of 33.32%. Outlook As China's mainstream tungsten enterprises continue to lower their new round of long-term contract prices, confidence in the spot market will remain under pressure. Tungsten prices are expected to remain in the doldrums in the short term given the lack of demand support. In the long term, underpinned by the supply rigidity from the continued tightening of China's annual tungsten ore mining quotas, the logic of raw material supply contraction remains unchanged. After tungsten prices pulled back more than 33% in less than two months, the room for further deep declines has been significantly compressed. Going forward, key attention should be paid to the pace of recovery in actual end-user demand from downstream sectors such as cemented carbide, special steel, and PV tungsten wire, as well as the timing of concentrated restocking by enterprises at the low-price segment. Recommended reading:

[SMM Tungsten Express] SMM May 7: APT CIF Rotterdam prices remained stable at $2,900-3,200/mtu this week, flat WoW. However, market pessimism was strong in the European market this week, with end-users mostly adopting a wait-and-see attitude. Despite no change in the tight supply landscape, there was virtually no substantial trading in the market this week, and buyers and sellers were in a stalemate. In the Indian market, FOB prices for scrap tungsten drill bits were quoted at $100-120/kg, with an average price of $110/kg, down $30 WoW. Market demand was weak, and panic sentiment among scrap dealers intensified, accelerating the price decline.

[Tungsten News Flash] SMM May 6: A tungsten industry group in Jiangxi released long-term contract prices for the first half of May. The guidance price for national standard grade-one wolframite concentrates for the first half of May 2026 was 720,000 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis) (long-term contract), down 190,000 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis) from the second half of April.

[SMM Tungsten Daily Review: Tungsten Market Trading Sluggish, Awaiting Tomorrow's Long-Term Contract to Set the Tone] SMM May 6 News: On the first day after the holiday, China's tungsten market continued its weak consolidation trend. The upstream raw material market was waiting for tomorrow's long-term contract guidance price, with very few transactions in the market. Downstream powder and cemented carbide intermediate products showed a catch-up decline. Wait-and-see sentiment pervaded the market, with transactions across all segments dominated by scattered small orders for rigid demand, lacking support from bulk transactions.

[SMM Tungsten Express] APT CIF Rotterdam prices held steady at $2,800-3,200/mt this week, with market sentiment divided. Demand gaps supported continued raises in high-end offers, but influenced by sharp price declines in the Chinese market, European and American buyers generally adopted a wait-and-see approach, with overall transactions hindered. Ferrotungsten and scrap prices continued to decline. Ferrotungsten Rotterdam warehouse was quoted at $280-295/kg W, down $12.5 WoW; European scrap tungsten carbide inserts were quoted at €100-110/kg, down €5 WoW.

On April 16, Ye Jianhua, Director and Supervisor of SMM's Industry Research Department, Feng Chundi, Expert of SMM's Industry Research Institute, and Wu Tao, SMM Overseas Marketing Manager for Copper and Tin, visited Mining Mineral Resources (MMR) for a field trip and exchange, where they received a warm welcome from MMR's leadership. During the exchange, MMR and SMM engaged in in-depth discussions on the current status of the strategic minor metal industry and cross-border supply chain cooperation. MMR has been deeply engaged in compliant mining of critical minerals for over 15 years, with a strategic focus on three key minerals — tin, tantalum, and tungsten. The company holds multiple mining licenses in mineral-rich regions of the DRC, with concentrated resource deployment and exceptional endowment. The enterprise strictly adheres to compliant mining, full-process traceability, and international operational standards, ensuring long-term stable and compliant mine operations. SMM has long been deeply engaged in non-ferrous and rare metals, with core coverage spanning price quotations, industry surveys, and market analysis, comprehensively empowering global mineral trade and industry chain integrated services. Leveraging their respective business strengths, both parties exchanged practical experience on ex-China mineral development, compliance system building, raw material circulation coordination, and industry development trends, laying a solid foundation for subsequent industrial synergy and resource collaboration. Mining Mineral Resources (MMR) Overview Mining Mineral Resources (MMR) has been deeply engaged in compliant mining of critical minerals for over 15 years, with a core focus on the 3T strategic minerals (tin, tantalum, and tungsten). The company holds a portfolio of multiple mining licenses in mineral-rich regions of the DRC: tin (14 licenses covering 2,800 sq km), tantalum (6 licenses covering 400 sq km), and tungsten (1 license covering 300 sq km). The company upholds compliant procurement, full traceability, and international standard compliance systems, building a solid foundation for business operations. Key Tin Producer in Africa • 11 mechanized mines (including open-pit and underground mines) • Annual tin concentrates capacity: 10,000 mt Annual trading volume: 6,500 mt; annual mechanized mining production: 3,500 mt. Mechanized Mining Operations 8 beneficiation plant areas with a combined feed capacity of over 1,500 mt per hour; monthly tin concentrates production of 300 mt; creating employment opportunities and empowering inclusive community development. Smelting Production and Global Supply LME Grade A tin equivalent; Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) certified smelter; annual refined tin capacity: 4,500 mt. Tantalum Mining Operations The only mechanized tantalum ore beneficiation plant in the DRC; capacity: 20 mt per year of high-grade tantalum concentrates (grade 30% and above); equipped with modern laboratory detection and quality assay facilities. Ore-to-Alloy Entire Industry Chain Lead-free and tin-lead solder alloys, available in bars, wires, electrodes, and casting ingots. The only enterprise in Africa with a complete ore-to-alloy entire industry chain. Corporate Social Responsibility MMR is well aware of its significant social responsibility to the communities in the mining areas. The corporate social responsibility system is built on four core pillars: healthcare, education development, infrastructure improvement, and entrepreneurship empowerment. Scheduled to be held on October 13-14, 2026 in Lusaka, Zambia. Welcome to join us~ Conference Contact : Wu Tao: 18270916376 jennywu@smm.cn

SMM April 29: Metals market: As of the midday close, domestic market base metals mostly rose, with SHFE copper down 0.29%. SHFE aluminum edged up. SHFE lead rose 0.18%, SHFE zinc edged down. SHFE tin rose 0.81%. SHFE nickel rose 1.37%, hitting an intraday high of 152,230 yuan/mt, the highest since January 26. Additionally, the most-traded casting aluminum futures were flat at 23,175 yuan/mt, and the most-traded alumina contract fell 0.45%. The most-traded lithium carbonate contract rose 0.6%. The most-traded silicon metal contract rose 1.57%. The most-traded polysilicon futures rose 1.08%. Ferrous metals all rose, with iron ore up 0.77%, rebar up 0.31%, hot-rolled coil up 0.3%, and stainless steel up 0.55%. Coking coal and coke: the most-traded coking coal contract rose 0.47%, and the most-traded coke contract rose 0.22%. Overseas market base metals, as of 11:40, LME metals rose across the board. LME copper rose 0.79%. LME aluminum rose 0.49%, LME lead rose 0.49%, LME zinc rose 0.61%. LME tin rose 1.14%. LME nickel rose 0.18%. Precious metals, as of 11:40, COMEX gold edged up 0.07%, COMEX silver rose 0.65%. Domestic precious metals: the most-traded SHFE gold contract fell 1.36%, and the most-traded SHFE silver contract fell 1.46%. Additionally, as of the midday close, the most-traded platinum futures fell 1.07%, and the most-traded palladium futures fell 0.29%. As of the midday close, the most-traded Europe containerized freight index contract rose 1.13% to 2,252.9 points. As of 11:40 on April 29, midday futures quotes for selected contracts: Spot and fundamentals Copper: Today in Guangdong, #1 copper cathode spot prices against the front-month contract: high-quality copper was quoted at a premium of 320 yuan/mt, flat with the previous trading day; standard-quality copper was quoted at a premium of 240 yuan/mt, up 10 yuan/mt from the previous trading day; SX-EW copper was quoted at a premium of 180 yuan/mt, up 10 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. The average price of Guangdong #1 copper cathode was 101,540 yuan/mt, down 780 yuan/mt from the previous trading day; the average price of SX-EW copper was 101,440 yuan/mt, down 775 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. Spot market: Guangdong inventory rose for two consecutive sessions, mainly due to weak downstream consumption... Macro front China: [31 World Firsts: China's Mineral Resource Inventory Published, with Continued Increase in Exploration Investment Planned for the 15th Five-Year Plan Period] On April 29, the Ministry of Natural Resources released China's latest mineral resource inventory. China ranked first in the world in reserves of 14 minerals, including rare earths, tungsten, tin, molybdenum, antimony, gallium, germanium, indium, fluorite, and graphite. In 2025, China ranked first in the world in the production of 17 minerals, including coal, vanadium, titanium, zinc, rare earths, tungsten, tin, molybdenum, antimony, gallium, indium, gold, and tellurium. Currently, China's mineral production and smelting processing scale ranks firmly first globally. In 2025, the national mining output value was approximately 32.7 trillion yuan, accounting for over 23% of GDP. Resource reserves grew significantly, laying a solid foundation for resource self-sufficiency and controllability. Xiong Zili, Director of the Geological Exploration Management Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources, stated that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the state will continue to deeply implement a new round of strategic actions for mineral exploration breakthroughs. The Ministry of Natural Resources will further improve the coordinated system for exploration, production, supply, reserves, and sales of strategic mineral resources, and strengthen security risk monitoring and early warning for strategic mineral resources. In terms of key directions, efforts will focus on scarce strategic minerals such as copper, iron, lithium, cobalt, and nickel, while consolidating the resource position of advantageous minerals such as rare earths, tungsten, and tin. In terms of spatial layout, land-sea coordination will be strengthened, with active expansion of survey, exploration, and development space, and increased efforts in basic geological surveys. The goal is to submit a number of mineral sites ready for development by 2030 and form new capacity as soon as possible. The PBOC conducted 25.9 billion yuan of 7-day reverse repo operations in the open market at an interest rate of 1.40%. Today, 6 billion yuan of reverse repos matured. US dollar: As of 11:40, the US dollar index rose 0.03% to 98.66. US Fed watchers did not expect significant changes to the Fed's statement, but they noted there could be some subtle adjustments. For example, officials might revise their description of the labour market to acknowledge that recent data suggested the labour market had stabilized despite less hiring activity. Some officials also wanted the Fed to make clear that the next policy move could be a rate hike—rather than an interest rate cut—as the Iran situation had intensified existing inflationary pressures. To signal this view, officials could slightly adjust the wording of "the extent and timing of additional adjustments to the benchmark rate." Deutsche Bank economists wrote in a report: "A hawkish statement might remove the word 'additional,' as it implies a dovish lean and effectively signals a continuation of a series of interest rate cuts." The US Fed made three interest rate cuts at year-end 2025. Roger Ferguson, former Vice Chairman of the US Fed and economist, stated, "In terms of the dual mandate, the Fed would say that the labour market is roughly in a stable state at present. Regarding the inflation mandate, (as inflation remains elevated at 3%), there is still much work to be done." He expected the US Fed to say: "We will stay put for now and see how all this plays out." Similarly, Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle expected the post-meeting statement to acknowledge improved labor market conditions and rising inflation data, but maintain existing policy guidance. We expect a majority will still support keeping rates unchanged, with only one dissent, same as in March. According to CME "FedWatch": the probability of the US Fed keeping rates unchanged in April was 100%. The probability of a cumulative 25 basis point interest rate cut by June was 2.6%, while the probability of keeping rates unchanged was 97.4%. (Jin10 Data) Data: Data to be released today include Australia's March non-seasonally adjusted CPI year-on-year, Switzerland's April ZEW investor confidence index, Eurozone April industrial confidence index, Eurozone April economic sentiment index, Germany's April preliminary CPI month-on-month, US March annualized housing starts, US March durable goods orders month-on-month, US March building permits, and Bank of Canada interest rate decision through April 29. Also noteworthy: Bank of Canada to release its rate decision and monetary policy report; US Senate Banking Committee to vote on advancing Waller's Fed Chairman nomination, with a full Senate confirmation vote to follow if passed; Bank of Canada Governor Macklem and Senior Deputy Governor Rogers to hold a monetary policy press conference. Crude oil: As of 11:40, both benchmarks declined, with WTI down 0.77% and Brent down 0.47%. Both WTI and Brent continued to pull back in the short term, fully erasing gains since the news that Trump planned to extend the blockade on Iran. According to the Wall Street Journal, US officials said Trump had instructed aides to prepare for a prolonged blockade on Iran, a high-risk attempt aimed at striking Iran's fiscal revenue and forcing concessions on the nuclear issue. Officials said that in recent discussions, including a Monday White House Situation Room meeting, Trump decided to continue suppressing Iran's economy and oil exports by blocking shipping to and from Iranian ports. On April 28 local time, satellite imagery showed multiple oil tankers in waters near Iran's Chabahar Port, including 8 very large crude carriers and several small and medium-sized vessels, with a total capacity of approximately 14 million barrels of crude oil. Chabahar Port is located on the Gulf of Oman coast in southeastern Iran. Although the port is located outside the Persian Gulf, it is already close to the blockade line set by the US. Analysts noted that as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has nearly dropped to zero, rerouting some oil exports is one of the measures Iran has taken to minimize disruptions to its oil exports. (Jin10 Data) Spot Market Overview: ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ►

On April 16, an SMM team, comprised of Jianhua Ye, Industry Research Director, Chundi Feng, Expert at Industry Research Institute, and Jenny Wu, Copper & Tin Overseas Marketing Manager, paid a visit to Mining Mineral Resources (MMR) , and was warmly welcomed by MMR's executives. During this visit, MMR and SMM engaged in in-depth discussions on the current status of the strategic minor metal industry and cross-border supply chain cooperation. MMR has been deeply engaged in compliant mining of critical minerals for over 15 years, with a strategic focus on three major strategic minerals: tin, tantalum, and tungsten. The company holds multiple mining licenses in mineral-rich regions of the DRC, with concentrated resource deployment and excellent endowment. The enterprise strictly adheres to compliant mining, full-process traceability, and international operational standards, ensuring long-term stable and compliant mine operations. SMM boasts long-standing expertise in non-ferrous and rare metals, with core coverage encompassing market pricing, industrial research and in-depth market analysis, delivering comprehensive empowerment for global mineral trade and integrated industrial chain services. Drawing on their respective business strengths, the two sides shared practical insights regarding overseas mineral resource development, compliance framework establishment, raw material circulation coordination and industry development trends, laying a solid foundation for future industrial cooperation and resource synergy. Introduction to Mining Mineral Resources (MMR) Africa Critical Minerals Forum 2026 SMM is also thrilled to announce that the Africa Critical Minerals Forum 2026 is scheduled to be held on October 13–14, 2026 in Lusaka, Zambia. The conference will bring together industry leaders, investors, policymakers, and technology providers from across the globe to explore the future of copper, cobalt and Tin—key drivers of the global energy transition. With Zambia home to some of the world's most significant copper and cobalt resources, and with Africa holding crucial tin reserves—particularly in the Central African Tin Belt spanning the DRC and Rwanda—this summit offers a unique platform to discuss cutting-edge mining technologies, sustainable practices, investment opportunities, and supply chain strategies. Attendees will engage in high-level dialogues on topics ranging from ESG compliance and renewable energy integration to logistics optimization and community-driven development. We look forward to your joining us at the Africa Critical Minerals Forum 2026 and jointly shaping the future of Africa’s critical minerals industry. Conference Contact : Jenny Wu: 18270916376 jennywu@smm.cn

[SMM Tungsten Daily Review: Pessimistic Sentiment Released in Concentration, Tungsten Products Fell across the Entire Industry Chain Today] SMM April 27: China's tungsten market today was hit by the sharp downward adjustment of long-term contracts by leading enterprises, and prices across the entire industry chain fell collectively to catch up with earlier declines. The single-day drop hit a recent high, market bullish confidence was severely undermined, and the trading atmosphere turned sluggish.

[Tungsten Industry Long-term Contract Information] SMM April 25: The long-term contract prices (VAT-inclusive) for tungsten raw materials in the second half of April from a tungsten company in Guangdong were as follows: 55% wolframite concentrates at 780,000 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis), down 145,000 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis) from the first half of April; 55% scheelite concentrates at 779,000 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis), down 145,000 yuan/standard tonne (65%WO3 basis) from the first half of April; APT at 1.2 million yuan/mt, down 200,000 yuan/mt from the first half of the month. Note: The above prices are inclusive of 13% VAT.