[Pr-Nd Oxide in the Doldrums, Traders Selling at Low Prices, Dysprosium Oxide Continues to Recover, Magnetic Material Scrap in Wait-and-See Mode] Yesterday, Pr-Nd alloy prices continued to be in the doldrums, mainly due to persistent sluggish downstream inquiry activity. Some suppliers slightly lowered their quotations, but metal enterprises’ quotations remained firm, and the actual decline was limited, with actual transactions remaining stagnant. In the medium-heavy rare earth market, driven by the price increase of dysprosium oxide, dysprosium-iron alloy suppliers raised their quotations accordingly, while terbium metal prices held steady.

[SMM Cast Aluminum Alloy Morning Comment: Overnight Futures Narrowly Recover, Spot Cargo Lacks Uward Momentum in Off-Season] Overnight, the aluminum alloy 2610 contract opened at 22,905 yuan/mt. After a quick dip at the night session's open, buying gradually stepped in, driving prices to consolidate and rebound, hitting an intraday high of 23,055 yuan/mt before closing at 23,035 yuan/mt, up 0.41%.

SMM Morning Meeting Minutes: Overnight, LME copper opened at $13,890.5/mt, dipped to $13,875/mt in early trading, then its center moved up to a high of $14,058/mt, and finally closed at $14,051.5/mt, up 0.64%. Trading volume reached 23,000 lots and open interest stood at 261,000 lots, a decrease of 8,415 lots from the previous trading day, indicating a reduction in bearish positions. Overnight, the most-traded SHFE copper 2609 contract opened at 107,020 yuan/mt, quickly hit a high of 107,340 yuan/mt in early trading, then its center declined to a low of 107,010 yuan/mt, and finally moved sideways to close at 107,230 yuan/mt, up 0.23%. Trading volume reached 25,000 lots and open interest stood at 171,000 lots, a decrease of 4,636 lots from the previous trading day, indicating a reduction in bearish positions.

[Aluminum Social Inventory Destocking Underpins Futures, Short-Term Prices to Consolidate Within Range] Overall, domestic aluminum prices are expected to mainly consolidate in the short term, with upside room likely to be suppressed by production resumption expectations.

The Export-Import Bank of Korea said on August 17 that it will provide $1 billion in financial support to Glencore, on the condition that the company supplies copper to Korean companies during the loan period. The funds will be used as Glencore’s general operating capital, while the financing structure is designed to help Korean companies secure key raw materials. Glencore operates mines, smelting assets and trading networks across multiple regions, including exposure to copper-producing countries such as Chile and Peru. Korea Eximbank said Glencore’s diversified asset and trading base could provide alternative procurement channels if supply disruptions occur in a specific country or mine. The arrangement does not add near-term copper production, but it strengthens copper procurement security for Korean companies.

HRC futures closed at 3,286 today, gaining 0.4% for the full day. In the spot market, spot HRC prices edged up 10 yuan/mt while remaining largely stable, cold-rolled prices were flat, and overall trading was moderate today. HRC city inventory data was released today: inventories in Zhangjiagang, Shanghai, Ningbo, and Tangshan built up, while those in Lecong and Shenyang saw slight destocking. Overall, HRC social inventory is expected to build up this week. Cost side, expectations for price hikes in coking coal and coke are heating up, strengthening the support from raw materials for HRC’s bottom. Steel mills have become somewhat more inclined to hold prices firm. However, end-use demand has yet to improve materially, capping upside room. In the short term, HRC lacks a directional driver. The futures market is trading on expectations for the September peak season. The upside is pressured by weak demand, while the downside is cushioned by costs. Prices are most likely to continue moving sideways.

India’s aluminium scrap import data reflects the changing sourcing pattern. Imports under HS Code 76020010 from the UAE fell 1.19% year on year to $38.80 million in June 2026. Imports during April–June declined 26.59% to $77.81 million.

[SMM Stainless Steel Daily Review] SS Futures Weaken, Spot Stainless Steel Transactions Mediocre, Awaiting Peak Season Validation SMM, August 19 – SS futures maintained a subdued consolidation trend. Dragged lower by the broad decline in nonferrous metals, SS prices pulled back in tandem. As of the close, the most-traded SS contract settled at 14,260 yuan/mt. In the spot market, although SS futures pulled back somewhat, the overall decline was relatively small. Stainless steel traders mostly held their offers steady, with only occasional small discounts. Overall transactions remained sluggish, showing no signs of recovery ahead of the “September-October peak season.” The Most-Traded SS Futures Contract. At 10:15 a.m., SS2610 was at 14,260 yuan/mt, up 25 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. Spot premiums for 304/2B in Wuxi were in the 410-610 yuan/mt range. In the spot market, the average price of Wuxi cold-rolled 201/2B coil was steady; for cold-rolled 304/2B coil with mill edge, Wuxi average price was flat, Foshan average price was flat; the price of Wuxi cold-rolled 316L/2B coil fell by 100 yuan/mt; for hot-rolled 316L/NO.1 coil, Wuxi quotation was flat; cold-rolled 430/2B coil in both Wuxi and Foshan was flat. This week, stainless steel futures were continuously disturbed by macro sentiment, maintaining an overall weak pullback trend. During the week, news on Indonesia’s RKAB nickel ore approval repeatedly disrupted industry expectations. Coupled with the hawkish tone of the US Fed’s policy stance and the unresolved US-Iran geopolitical conflict, macro uncertainty stayed high. Multiple bearish factors dragged SS futures down continuously throughout the week, with bearish sentiment dominating the market and futures movement...

[SMM Rare Earth Daily Review: Rare Earth Prices Diverge, Pr-Nd in the Doldrums, Dysprosium and Holmium Rise] Overall, inquiry activity in the rare earth market remains subdued, and price performance is divergent: the Pr-Nd market sees sluggish trading and prices in the doldrums; for dysprosium products, due to procurement by large manufacturers, low-priced supply is tightening, and suppliers are raising their offers. It is expected that in the short term, affected by persistently sluggish trading, Pr-Nd product prices will likely continue to move sideways in a narrow range.

As of now, the FOB price of Indonesian MHP nickel is $14,945/mt Ni, and the FOB price of Indonesian MHP cobalt is $41,267/mt Co. The MHP payables (against the SMM battery-grade nickel sulphate index) is 83-84.5, and the MHP cobalt element payable indicator (against SMM refined cobalt (Rotterdam warehouse)) is 80. The FOB price of Indonesian high-grade nickel matte is $15,490/mt Ni.