On July 3, JL MAG Rare-Earth's share price rose, closing 3.79% higher at 34.25 yuan per share. On the news front, JL MAG's H1 performance forecast released on July 1 showed: net profit attributable to parent for H1 2026 is expected to be 400 million to 460 million yuan, up 31.17% to 50.84% YoY. Regarding the reasons for performance changes, JL MAG stated in an announcement: 1. In H1 2026, the management adhered to the annual operating policy of "adhering to compliance and regulations, being customer-oriented, focusing on the magnetic materials main business, constructing 20,000 mt of new capacity on schedule, actively deploying embodied robot motor rotors, and reaching new heights." Through measures including technological innovation, organizational optimization, digitalization, and lean management, the company ensured full contract fulfillment and delivery to customers while achieving steady business growth. The company continued to strengthen its leading position in new energy and environmental protection sectors and actively explored emerging markets, with revenue expected to increase by about 30% YoY. Specifically, revenue from the NEV and auto parts sector rose about 30% YoY; in the robot and industrial servo motor sector, revenue rose about 90% YoY, with small-batch deliveries of embodied robot motor rotors already underway. 2. During the reporting period, non-recurring gains and losses are expected to impact net profit by approximately 32.00 million yuan, compared to 70.9405 million yuan (after tax) in the same period last year. 3. In this reporting period, due to A-share and H-share equity incentives as well as H-share convertible bond issuance, total related share-based payment expenses and financial expenses amounted to about 121 million yuan. There were no such expenses in the same period last year. A recent JL MAG announcement shows: to implement the company's development strategy and strengthen comprehensive competitiveness, it plans to acquire a 9.24% equity stake in Baotou Rare Earth Products Exchange Co., Ltd. held by China Northern Rare Earth, through public listing and transfer on the Inner Mongolia Property Rights Exchange Center . According to the valuation report issued by Northern Yashi Asset Evaluation Co., Ltd., as of the valuation date December 31, 2025, the total equity value of the exchange under the market approach was 239.00 million yuan, representing an appreciation of 27.8551 million yuan, or 13.19%, over the net asset book value of 211.1449 million yuan. The expected transaction price for the subject equity is 22.0836 million yuan. Under the Shenzhen Stock Exchange ChiNext Listing Rules and the company's articles of association, this external investment falls within the CEO's approval authority. This investment does not constitute a related party transaction, nor does it constitute a material asset restructuring as defined in the *Administrative Measures for the Material Asset Restructuring of Publicly Listed Firms*. Regarding the company's main business and product applications, JL MAG Rare-Earth introduced in its 2025 annual report: The company is a high-tech enterprise integrating R&D, production, and sales of high-performance NdFeB permanent magnet materials, magnetic assemblies, embodied robot motor rotors, and comprehensive utilization of rare earth recycling. It is a leading supplier of rare earth permanent magnet materials in the new energy and environmental protection sectors. The company’s products are widely used in NEVs and auto parts, energy-saving variable-frequency air conditioners, wind power generation, robotics and industrial servo motors, 3C, low-altitude aircraft, energy-saving elevators, rail transit, and other fields, and it has established long-term and stable cooperative relationships with industry leaders both in and outside China in these sectors. The company actively positions itself in the robotics field. On one hand, it collaborates with internationally renowned technology companies to conduct R&D and capacity building for embodied robot motor rotors, with small-batch product deliveries already made. On the other hand, through direct investment or participation in industry funds, it strategically lays out key links in the relevant industry chain to accelerate industrial synergy and commercialization. Regarding the operating plan for 2026, JL MAG Rare-Earth introduced in its 2025 annual report: The company's operating policy for 2026: "Adhere to legal compliance, adhere to client orientation, focus on the magnetic material main business, build 20,000 mt of new capacity on schedule, actively position embodied robot motor rotors, and scale new peaks." Based on this operating policy and under the premise of legal compliance, the company will focus on advancing the following tasks: 1. Orderly release of capacity under construction. In 2026, some of the company's projects under construction will gradually release capacity. The specific release progress will consider factors such as equipment commissioning and market demand, advancing the commissioning and ramp-up of new capacity in an orderly manner. 2. Continuous improvement of R&D capabilities. 3. Continuous optimization of the product mix. The company will continue to enrich its product matrix for different application scenarios based on client needs, enhancing product structure resilience and client stickiness. Meanwhile, it will steadily advance the layout of projects such as magnetic assemblies and embodied robot motor rotors, equip dedicated production lines and professional teams, and drive the upgrade of small-batch pilot lines to large-scale, standardized manufacturing and quality systems. 4. Continuous improvement of operational capabilities. 5. Strengthening capital expenditure efficiency. 6. Improving incentive mechanisms and shareholder returns. 7. Advancing the construction of the ESG system. Regarding potential risks the company may face, when introducing the risk of rare earth raw material price fluctuations, JL MAG Rare-Earth stated: Rare earth metals are the main raw materials for producing NdFeB magnets. China is an important global supply base for rare earth raw materials, and wild swings in rare earth raw material prices will adversely affect the company's production and sales in the short term. Mitigation measures: The company has built production plants in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, the main production area for heavy rare earth, and in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, the main production area for light rare earth. The company has established long-term cooperative relationships with major rare earth raw material suppliers, including China Northern Rare Earth Group and China Rare Earth Group. Meanwhile, through measures such as procuring rare earth raw material in advance based on orders on hand, establishing price adjustment mechanisms with key clients, optimizing formulations, and improving processes, the company strives to reduce the adverse impact of rare earth raw material price fluctuations on its operating performance. A review of Pr-Nd alloy’s price performance in H1 this year shows : The average price of Pr-Nd alloy on June 30 was 905,000 yuan/mt. Compared with its average price of 735,000 yuan/mt on December 31, 2025, the increase in H1 this year was 23.13%. The annual daily average price of Pr-Nd alloy in H1 this year was 904,650.86 yuan/mt. Compared with its annual daily average price of 529,559.83 yuan/mt in H1 2025, the semiannual daily average price rose by 375,091.03 yuan/mt, up 70.83% YoY. According to SMM quotations: On July 3, the Pr-Nd alloy price was 920,000-930,000 yuan/mt, with an average of 925,000 yuan/mt, up 1.09% from the previous trading day. Currently, rare earth market prices overall are showing a broad upward trend. Driven by a marked increase in market trading activity on July 2, low-priced supply of Pr-Nd oxide tightened, and suppliers of oxides raised their quotations one after another. However, overall inquiry activity in the market declined somewhat compared with yesterday, and actual transactions were not ideal. In the metal market, supported by oxide costs, prices also rose. However, downstream magnetic material enterprises made fewer inquiries, and metal enterprises were not very proactive in offering quotations, resulting in a generally sluggish trading atmosphere and relatively strong wait-and-see sentiment. In the short term, affected by the tightening of low-priced supply in the market, Pr-Nd product prices are expected to drift higher amid consolidation. Recommended reading:

Philippine market: Zambales and Northern Luzon officially entered the rainy season. A low-pressure system may make landfall on Monday, and CIF prices followed Indonesian procurement prices lower. Overall CIF China offers fell this week: 1.3% at $45.5–47/wmt, 1.4% at $56–57/wmt, 1.5% at $64–65/wmt, and 1.8% at $91–94/wmt. CIF Indonesia offers held flat, with 1.3% at $45–46/wmt and 1.4% at $55–56/wmt, largely aligning with smelter tender prices. Freight rates eased notably this week: Surigao–Lianyungang around $13.25/wmt, Surigao–Indonesia around $11/wmt. Overall freight rates dropped by around $0.5/wmt WoW, significantly easing the situation where “freight rates stayed high.” FOB prices also moved lower, with 1.3% at $33–35/wmt, 1.4% at $41.5–43.5/wmt, and 1.8% at $76–78/wmt, confirming the earlier view that FOB would follow CIF’s pullback. Supply side, Zambales and Northern Luzon officially entered the rainy season, worsening mine roads, disrupting shipments, and leading to low outbound volumes. In terms of weather, the Philippines is expected to see continuous rainfall for the first five days of next week, shifting to mainly showers in the last two days, with total weekly rainfall surging across the country. Meanwhile, a low-pressure system is forming in the eastern waters; though not expected to intensify into a tropical depression or storm, it is forecast to make landfall in the central-southern Philippines next Monday and move northwestward across land, affecting Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. In major producing areas, cumulative weekly rainfall next week around the Manicani-Homonhon-Dinagat-Surigao belt is expected to more than double WoW, with the Homonhon area likely to be impacted by swells for 2–3 days. Dinapigue’s rainfall is forecast to be about six times this week’s level, with wave heights reaching around 1.7 meters on Wednesday and Thursday. RTN, Ipilan, and Berong loading points in Palawan are all expected to see higher rainfall next week compared to this week. In Zambales, cumulative weekly rainfall is forecast to be about 2.5 times this week’s level. Despite sustained weather disruptions, Chinese port inventories are already high, so weather’s support to prices remains very limited. Cost side, international oil prices pulled back slightly, alleviating mining and transportation cost pressures, but spot freight rates remained at relatively high levels, with the easing not yet fully materialized. Demand side, smelters in both China and Indonesia held dual-high inventories, with limited near-term restocking appetite. The buyer-dominated pattern persisted, and spot trading stayed sluggish. On inventories, as of June 26, Philippine nickel ore stocks at Chinese ports stood at around 6.44 million wmt (approximately 51,000 mt in nickel metal content), sustaining the ample supply picture. Indonesian market: HMA dropped sharply MoM—down 7.6% to a new low; RKAB revision window opened; heavy rainfall continued to disrupt shipments in Halmahera and Obi. Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources published the HMA nickel reference price for the first half of July at $17,225.67/dmt, a significant drop of about 7.6% from $18,642.33/dmt in the second half of June. Based on this, the theoretical HPM price for Ni 1.6% saprolite ore is around $66.6/wmt, and for Ni 1.2% limonite ore around $47.4/wmt. Premiums: premiums for 1.6% material remained stable; premiums for 1.4% material were around $1.3/wmt; for 1.5% and 1.6%, around $3/wmt—overall limited movement. In spot trading, 1.2% limonite ore was offered at around $30/wmt, and 1.5% saprolite ore at around $65/wmt, with both declining by about $5.5/wmt in total this week, mainly driven by the sharp fall in the HMA reference price. Supply side, the impact of the rainy season on Sulawesi production areas remained relatively mild in some regions, with limited disruption to overall shipments. However, weather conditions in Halmahera and Obi Island were generally severe, with persistent heavy rainfall and deteriorating sea conditions already causing some restrictions on mine production. Despite shipment disruptions, overall smelter inventory levels remained relatively adequate, limiting the near-term influence on procurement pace. Meanwhile, smelters continued to demand higher ore grades; low-grade ore (1.3–1.4%) supply was largely filled by Philippine cargoes, and multiple smelters turned to actively seeking high-grade ore (≥1.45%). Yet domestic high-grade ore supply remained scarce, with circulating grades concentrated in the 1.45–1.50% Ni range, intensifying procurement competition. Spot transaction prices for 1.2% limonite ore stayed stable this week; smelter procurement stayed low, with general reluctance to transact at HPM theoretical prices, deep discounts persisted, and low HPAL operating rates continued to weigh on purchasing prices. On the policy front, on Thursday, June 25, Tri Winarno, Director-General of Mineral and Coal at Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, clarified that the total RKAB quota for nickel ore in 2026 has not yet been finalized. The government is still evaluating companies’ revision applications through the official review mechanism, with no specific figure set, focusing on assessing actual industry demand rather than relaxing restrictions. The RKAB revision window officially opened on July 1 and runs until July 31, with mining companies already initiating preparation work for revision applications and submitting production quota adjustment materials intensively; all adjustments are subject to full review.

SMM, July 3: As of July 2, finished product inventories of secondary lead stood at 19,100 mt, down 4,400 mt from June 25. Lead prices continued to fall this week, prompting battery enterprises to restock at lower prices. Coupled with the conclusion of mid-year account settlements, market transactions recovered somewhat. Next week, improvement in battery orders is expected to be limited, and secondary lead lacks a price advantage. Downstream buyers prioritized digesting existing inventory and fulfilling long-term contracts, with spot orders mostly shifting to primary lead. Production cuts at smelters tightened supply, making it difficult for secondary lead inventory to decline significantly. Meanwhile, there was no risk of inventory buildup, and overall inventory remained stable.

[SMM Analysis: Surging Demand in H1 2026 Drives Industry Expansion, Anode Volume and Price Both Rise, Welcoming Recovery Opportunities] SMM July 3: In H1 2026, a surge in downstream demand drove steady improvement in the anode industry’s prosperity, significantly releasing overall market vitality.

[Weekly Review of Aluminum Scrap and Secondary Aluminum]Primary-Scrap Spread Narrows Sharply as ADC12-A00 Premium Hits a Record High: Has the Window Opened for Primary Aluminum to Replace Scrap?

[Expectations for US Fed Interest Rate Hikes Delayed, Short-Term Weakness in Aluminum Prices Hard to Break] In China, the proportion of liquid aluminum continued to rise, and warehouse withdrawals of aluminum ingots hit a four-year high in the past week. The further acceleration of the destocking pace has been the biggest highlight recently, but the absolute inventory level remains in a high range. Recently, with the continued narrowing of the geopolitical risk premium coupled with expectations for new project startups outside China, macro headwinds still dominate. LME aluminum is under significant pressure in the short term, and domestic aluminum prices are expected to follow LME aluminum and remain in the doldrums.

This week, the aluminum processing industry was broadly under pressure from three factors: a deepening off-season, continuously weakening aluminum prices that fueled widespread price-drop sentiment, and shrinking exports. Only a few subsectors such as energy storage provided marginal support. The operating rate is expected to continue its downward trend in the short term.

On June 30, 2026, the National Energy Administration issued the Guide to Data Classification and Grading for the Energy Industry (2026 Edition), under which hydrogen energy was officially classified as a first-level energy data category, positioned alongside traditional fossil fuels such as coal, crude oil, and natural gas. This marks the end of the domestic hydrogen industry's single demonstration phase and its full entry into a development cycle characterized by large-scale, standardized systems. This top-level data system adjustment reshapes hydrogen energy's national strategic positioning, and by leveraging a unified data management framework to link the entire chain of green hydrogen cost reduction, storage and transportation infrastructure, and diversified applications, the industry is expected to usher in a new expansion cycle. I. Policy Iteration: The Strategic Status of Hydrogen Energy Achieves a Hierarchical Leap (A) Core Basis for the Document's Issuance The Guide serves as a supporting detailed rule for the implementation of the Data Security Law and the Administrative Measures for Energy Industry Data Security (Trial), delineating a total of 12 first-level energy data categories, including coal, oil and gas, and hydrogen energy. For the first time, hydrogen energy has been incorporated into the basic energy data sequence, integrating the hydrogen energy industry into the national unified energy security regulatory system. (B) Policy Evolution Trajectory In 2022, the Medium and Long-Term Plan for the Development of the Hydrogen Energy Industry (2021-2035) legally affirmed the energy attribute of hydrogen energy for the first time, setting the goal of diversified commercial applications by 2035. With the implementation of this 2026 data classification document, hydrogen energy has completed its identity transition from a "demonstration and pilot industry" to a "national basic energy category." Industrial development has shifted from being driven purely by policy subsidies to a new phase where policy guidance, scenario validation, and market operations run in parallel. (C) Three Supporting Logics of the Top-Level Strategy Energy Security: Global geopolitical conflicts have intensified fluctuations in oil and gas imports. In 2025, China's dependence on foreign crude oil was 72.3%, and that on foreign natural gas was 43.8%. Hydrogen energy, produced from renewable resources such as wind, solar, and hydropower, can substantially reduce dependence on imported fossil energy while simultaneously fulfilling the carbon peaking and neutrality targets. Correction of Domestic Supply-Demand Mismatch: In 2024, China's total hydrogen production stood at 37.28 million mt, firmly ranking first in the world. Domestic planned green hydrogen capacity accounts for 52% of the global total planned green hydrogen capacity, yet the average annual operating rate of commissioned green hydrogen facilities is only 23.6%, with substantial electrolyzer capacity remaining idle. Unified data standards will compel the industry to shift from blindly expanding hydrogen production capacity toward demand-side development oriented to matching downstream consumption scenarios. Breakthrough in Global Hydrogen Competition: The EU will implement its Hydrogen Strategy Act in 2026, and the US allocates over $9 billion annually in hydrogen industry subsidies. Europe and the United States are accelerating their efforts to seize the discourse power in hydrogen standards and trade. By perfecting its local standard system through hydrogen energy data classification management, China aims to shore up its industrial digital shortcomings and enhance the international competitiveness of its hydrogen energy projects and equipment exports. II. Industrial Empowerment Value of the First-Level Hydrogen Data Classification System (A) Establishing a Bottom Line for Whole-Chain Data Compliance and Security The Guide uniformly categorizes all energy data into three control levels: general, important, and core, covering the entire process of hydrogen production, storage, transportation, refueling, and utilization. It specifies mandatory control rules: Geographic infrastructure data for hydrogen refueling stations, hydrogen production bases, and pipeline networks with coordinate accuracy ≤100 meters is classified as important data, with strict limits on external disclosure. Real-time operational control commands for water electrolysis hydrogen production units and sensor data from high-pressure storage and transportation equipment are classified as core data, with unencrypted external transmission prohibited. Electricity load data from wind- and solar-power integrated new energy plants supporting electrolytic hydrogen production is protected under a tiered scheme, with electricity consumption data from special-grade green electricity hydrogen projects implementing the highest protection standards. All enterprises are required to establish full-life-cycle data ledgers, mandatorily use commercial encryption technology, and simultaneously implement the protection requirements for Classified Protection of Cybersecurity 2.0 and critical information infrastructure, in order to avert risks such as the leakage of monitoring data from coal chemical and hydrogen plants or cyber attacks on industrial control systems. (B) Restoring Industry Investment Confidence and Reducing Uncertainty in Market-Oriented Development By year-end 2025, a total of 627 wind- and solar-power water electrolysis hydrogen projects had been filed nationwide, with a planned total investment exceeding 860 billion yuan. However, only 148 projects actually commenced construction, yielding a comprehensive construction start rate of 23.6%. The core pain point of the industry's sluggish investment was the absence of a unified statistical scope, cost accounting method, and operational supervision standard for hydrogen energy, causing capital to remain on the long-term sidelines. This policy improves the investment environment in three aspects: The National Energy Administration concurrently released unified hydrogen energy data statistical specifications, eliminating the need for enterprises to build their own differentiated data systems and reducing per-project digital compliance costs by 30%-45%. It is also aligned with 19 current draft national hydrogen standards for public comment, achieving bidirectional unification of data standards with equipment, storage and transportation, and refueling technology standards, thereby boosting the export recognition of domestically produced electrolyzers and hydrogen storage vessels. Standardized data furnishes financial institutions with a unified basis for cost estimation and project revenue assessment, substantially diminishing investment risks arising from policy changes. Supporting policies simultaneously tightened industry assessment: In April 2026, the National Energy Administration clarified dynamic elimination mechanisms for nine major hydrogen pilot regions. Projects are assessed monthly on economic viability based on operational data after commissioning; those without a stable profit model for six consecutive months are directly withdrawn, marking the industry's complete departure from the era of extensive subsidies. (III) Enabling Data Interoperability Across the Industry Chain to Revitalize Idle Hydrogen Capacity The Guidelines categorize a secondary-level hydrogen data catalog, covering seven segments: planning, engineering construction, hydrogen production, tube trailer storage and transportation, hydrogen refueling, transportation/industrial consumption, and technological R&D, thereby establishing a framework for data interoperability across the entire industry chain. Benchmark practice: Rongcheng New Energy built China’s first system for capitalizing hydrogen entire industry chain data assets. Its hydrogen big data platform aggregates data from all dimensions including hydrogen production units, tube trailers, hydrogen refueling stations, heavy truck operations, and equipment maintenance, accumulating a total of 21.08 billion real-time operational data entries. Leveraging cross-segment data synergy, the enterprise reduced its overall hydrogen production, storage, and transportation costs by 12.7% and lowered equipment idle rate by 18%. Meanwhile, the policy mandates that enterprises holding important or core hydrogen data undergo at least one security risk assessment per year. Cross-border data transfers of hydrogen technology and capacity data, as well as cross-enterprise data flows, must be preceded by a specialized risk review. This not only controls cross-border data security but also delineates a clear compliance pathway for domestic enterprises’ hydrogen project cooperation outside China, facilitating the export of green hydrogen equipment and complete hydrogen production processes. III. Conclusion Elevating hydrogen to a first-level energy data category is a landmark policy move that incorporates hydrogen into the management of the fundamental energy system. On one hand, through three-tier data security controls, it fills the gaps in digital regulation of hydrogen and mitigates cybersecurity risks in the industry. On the other hand, it unifies industry standards for statistics, operations, and cost data, alleviating three core pain points: idle green hydrogen capacity, investment wait-and-see attitude, and fragmentation of the industry chain. Against the backdrop of intensifying global hydrogen competition and China's dual goals of energy supply security and carbon reduction, data standardization will accelerate the large-scale deployment of green hydrogen, the comprehensive layout of storage and transportation pipeline networks, and propel hydrogen from a niche demonstration track to a core emerging industry that supports China's energy transition and participates in global energy competition.

[SMM Magnesium Express]Recently, Yian Technology announced that the clinical trial of its biodegradable magnesium interface screw has made significant progress. This product is used for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction of the knee joint. As of now, a total of 124 cases have been enrolled, accounting for 95.4% of the planned total sample size. Among them, 57 subjects have completed one-year follow-up after surgery, and the fixation effect is stable. The overall trial results are in line with expectations. After obtaining the clinical trial summary report, the company will submit a registration application to the National Medical Products Administration. After the product is launched, it is expected to fill the domestic application gap of biodegradable metal orthopedic implant consumables and promote the upgrading of orthopedic diagnosis and treatment plans.

[SMM Aluminum Weekly Review: Macro Headwinds Remain Dominant; Short-term Aluminum Prices Need More Support]