[SMM Platinum & Palladium Weekly Review] This week (April 6 – April 10), on China's Guangzhou Futures Exchange, the most-traded platinum contract PT2606 opened at 502.9 yuan/gram and closed at 521.45 yuan/gram, up 19.2 yuan/gram or 3.82% from last week's settlement price, with a highest price of 529.5 yuan/gram and a lowest price of 496.65 yuan/gram; the most-traded palladium contract PD2606 opened at 377.85 yuan/gram and closed at 385.05 yuan/gram, up 7.65 yuan/gram or 2.03% from last week's settlement price, with a highest price of 399.85 yuan/gram and a lowest price of 366.2 yuan/gram. Futures trading: the most-traded platinum contract PT2606 recorded a total weekly trading volume of 18,133 lots with a total turnover of 9.348 billion yuan and open interest of 15,303 lots, a WoW decrease of 1,287 lots. The most-traded palladium contract PD2606 recorded a total weekly trading volume of 11,379 lots with a total turnover of 4.348 billion yuan and open interest of 7,216 lots, a WoW increase of 88 lots. US-Iran conflict, Israel launched its most intense airstrikes on Lebanon to date. On April 9, the Speaker of Iran's Parliament issued a statement saying that three key provisions in the proposal (comprehensive ceasefire, airspace security, and uranium enrichment rights) had been violated before negotiations even began, and under such circumstances, a bilateral ceasefire or negotiations would be unreasonable. Iranian media issued a statement claiming the Strait of Hormuz had been fully closed. US Fed monetary policy, Fed Vice Chair Jefferson noted that employment faced downside risks while inflation faced upside risks. Nick Timiraos wrote that the ceasefire agreement made the US Fed's decision-making more difficult, as energy fluctuations persisted, leading to a prolonged period of rates being held steady. Tariff side, tariff policy has been one of the core political assets during Trump's administration. If high tariffs cannot be maintained through legal channels, his political influence and foreign negotiation leverage will be significantly weakened. After the "reciprocal tariffs" were overturned by the Supreme Court, the Trump administration implemented temporary tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Expansion Act in the short term to fill the policy vacuum, and in the medium and long-term may rely on Sections 232 and 301 to sustain a high-tariff policy framework, while threatening on social media to impose 50% tariffs on countries providing military weapons to Iran. Against this backdrop, the final determination in the anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations on Russian unwrought palladium is highly likely to maintain the affirmative conclusions of the preliminary ruling. Additionally, the tariff illegality ruling triggered massive tax refund pressures, exacerbating the US fiscal burden, and after geopolitical premiums are digested, will reinforce the "weak US dollar" logic. Palladium new demand, attention should be paid to China's fiberglass industry's transition from platinum to palladium. Starting April 2026, full-year testing will be conducted, and if successful, annual demand could reach 800,000 ounces, potentially offsetting declining demand from the automotive industry. Watch for palladium test results in the fiberglass sector. Watch for the US International Trade Commission's final-stage injury hearing on the palladium anti-dumping and countervailing duty case on April 27. Watch for the transition following LBMA's appointment of IBA as the platinum and palladium price auction administrator.

Platinum prices held up well today. The most-traded PT2606 contract on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange closed at 522.35 yuan/gram in the morning session, up 1.78%. Spot side, mainstream quotations for spot platinum in the morning session were at a discount of 5–7 yuan/gram to PT2606, with the spot discount narrowing slightly compared to the previous trading day. Spot transactions side, according to SMM, most suppliers held prices firm due to cost considerations and delivery intentions, while some traders reported that a small amount of spot platinum from recycling plants was being sold at relatively low absolute prices, which lowered downstream consumers' acceptance of mainstream quotations. Morning spot offers at a 5–7 yuan/gram discount to the Guangzhou Futures Exchange were difficult to transact. Downstream consumption remained weak overall, with a wait-and-see attitude prevailing. Some enterprises made small purchases through price negotiation to meet rigid demand, and the spot market saw generally sluggish trading.

Capacity side, according to incomplete statistics, China's alkaline electrolyzer market remained at 43.77 GW, the PEM electrolyzer market remained at 2.7 GW, with no new capacity additions for the time being. Sungrow Hydrogen's alkaline electrolyzer systems and proton exchange membrane electrolyzer systems were simultaneously delivered to Oman, Europe, and South America; Trina Green Hydrogen delivered multiple sets of second-generation Tianqing series 1,000 Nm³/h alkaline electrolyzers to green hydrogen-ammonia-methanol projects in China; Hande completed the delivery of one set of 1 Nm³ PEM hydrogen production system to a Chinese university. Project-related developments: Shandong Energy Group Inner Mongolia Branch: The winning bid candidates for the 2026 Shenglu Power Plant hydrogen production station electrolyzer project were publicly announced. The first winning bid candidate was Beijing Mingyang Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd., and Tianjin Dalu Hydrogen Production Equipment Co., Ltd. ranked second. CNMC Orient Tantalum Industry: For the 50 m³ electrolytic hydrogen production and purification system, the first winning bid candidate was Tianjin Dalu Hydrogen Production Equipment Co., Ltd. with a bid price of 1.68 million yuan. The second and third candidates were Shenzhen Wenshi Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd. and Beijing Zhongdian Fengye Technology Development Co., Ltd., with bid prices of 1.79 million yuan and 1.99 million yuan, respectively. Beijing Zhongdian Fengye Technology Development Co., Ltd.: Officially signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Haitai New Energy. The in-depth cooperation will focus on five key areas: first, integrated development of PV-to-hydrogen systems to create standardized solutions; second, advancing integrated wind-solar-storage-green hydrogen projects to build benchmark projects in regions of China rich in wind and solar resources; third, conducting technology R&D and process optimization to overcome key technologies and jointly develop new energy hydrogen production process packages; fourth, leveraging both parties' resources for marketing and sales to jointly expand China and non-China markets; fifth, jointly applying for scientific research and industrial support projects and participating in the formulation of industry standards. CNOOC (Shanxi) Precious Metals Co., Ltd., Jinzhong City: Its Shanxi Province's first MW-class proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis hydrogen production unit was successfully commissioned. Zaoyang Tongda Passenger Transport Co., Ltd.: Issued a tender announcement for the procurement of 20 hydrogen energy buses. The procurement covers 20 hydrogen energy buses with a maximum price limit of 21 million yuan. The project does not accept consortium bidding. Jiangsu Guofu Hydrogen Energy Technology Equipment Co., Ltd.: Announced the signing of an agreement with its affiliated company GF Hydrogen Africa Sarl to provide a 20 MW green hydrogen production system for Morocco, with a total consideration of approximately $6.2 million. China Coal Shaanxi Energy Chemical Group Co., Ltd.: Published the transaction result announcement for the feasibility study report compilation service for the China Coal Shaanxi Xi'an Kang green electricity-coupled biomass-to-green methanol integration project. The supplier is Hualou Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. Inner Mongolia Green Hydrogen Steel Union Technology Co., Ltd.: Its green electricity-green hydrogen shaft furnace reduction-electric furnace short-process all-green steel production line project released the winning bid announcement for the preliminary survey and mapping portion. The winning bidder was Tianjin Geological Engineering Survey and Design Institute Co., Ltd., with a winning bid amount of 3.0362 million yuan. It is reported that the tender for the civil construction portion of the project was completed in February. Inner Mongolia Huadian Huayang Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd.: The winning bid result for the survey and design service for the wind-solar-storage portion of the Inner Mongolia Huadian Damao Banner 1 million kW wind-solar-to-hydrogen integration project was announced. Power supply engineering: total new energy installations of 1,000 MW, including 700 MW wind power and 300 MW PV, with supporting construction of one 100 MW/200 MWh LFP battery ESS power station, two 220 kV step-up substations, access roads, collector lines, and other equipment and facilities. Hydrogen production plant: construction of 88 units of 1,000 Nm³/h water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment and supporting facilities, with an annual hydrogen output of 547 million Nm³; supporting construction of one 220 kV hydrogen production main step-down substation and other facilities and equipment. The total project investment is 6.7645 billion yuan, with 30% self-owned capital. Ordos Hanxia New Energy Co., Ltd.: At the hydrogen production plant of the Narisong PV-to-hydrogen industrial demonstration project in Jungar Banner, Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region — the site of China's first 10 kt-class PV-to-hydrogen project — the first truckload of high-purity green hydrogen meeting the 99.999% national standard was successfully dispatched after completing the filling operation, marking the first shipment of 2026. Policy Review 1. The National Development and Reform Commission issued the "Standards for Determining Major Accident Hazards in the Electric Power Sector and Regulations on Governance, Supervision and Administration," Order No. 41 of 2026. The document states that under the major hazard determination standards, any of the following conditions occurring in the power grid or power equipment and facilities shall be determined as a major hazard, including: for DC ±800 kV and AC 1000 kV and above transformers (converter transformers), monitored acetylene content reaching 0.000005 liters per liter or weekly increment exceeding 0.000002 liters per liter, or hydrogen content exceeding 0.00045 liters per liter, or total hydrocarbon content exceeding 0.00045 liters per liter. 2. The Henan Provincial Development and Reform Commission issued a notice on the list of key construction projects in Henan Province for 2026. The document states that Henan Province has 1,418 provincial key projects for 2026 with a total investment of approximately 3.2 trillion yuan, aiming to complete annual investment of over 1 trillion yuan. 3. The General Office of the Gansu Provincial People's Government issued a notice on the implementation plan for accelerating scenario cultivation and opening up to promote large-scale application of new scenarios. The document states, in the clean energy sector, the plan is to promote the coordinated layout of "generation-grid-load-storage-production," accelerate the construction of industrial cluster scenarios for wind power, PV, concentrated solar power, hydrogen energy, energy storage equipment, and new energy battery industries. A number of green electricity direct-connection scenario projects are expected to be promoted, and new energy consumption models such as virtual power plants and smart microgrids are expected to be popularized. The plan is to accelerate the deployment of green electricity-to-hydrogen scenarios through multiple models including new energy direct supply, off-grid operation, and green electricity trading, expand the diversified application of green hydrogen in industry, transportation, energy storage, and power generation, and strive to build the Hexi "Green Hydrogen Corridor" innovation scenario. Enterprise Developments Shanghai Hydrogen Maple Energy Technology Co., Ltd.: Partnered with US-based Apollo Mechanical Contractors to secure a commercial order for low-temperature solid-state hydrogen storage technology from Klickitat Valley Health Hospital in Washington State, US. Its independently developed titanium-based solid-state hydrogen storage technology successfully entered the US application market. AiH2 Technology (Group) Co., Ltd.: Officially signed a cooperation agreement with Chongqing Wansheng Economic and Technological Development Zone. Both parties will leverage the by-product hydrogen resources of the Wansheng Economic and Technological Development Zone to build the largest kt-class magnesium-based solid-state hydrogen supply and storage base in south-west China. Huawang (Qingdao) Hydrogen Energy Technology Group Co., Ltd. : The groundbreaking ceremony for the hydrogen refueling station construction project at Qingdao Hydrogen Energy Industrial Park was officially held in Boli Town, West Coast New Area, Qingdao. Panzhihua Huacheng New Energy Co., Ltd. : The pre-acceptance work for the Madian hydrogen refueling station's liquid hydrogen and gaseous hydrogen expansion project was successfully completed. China Classification Society (CCS) Wuhan Branch : Officially issued a certificate of approval to CSSC 712 Research Institute, marking a key breakthrough in China's marine SOFC technology and entering a new stage of standardized and industrialised development. Yunnan Energy Investment Weixin Energy Co., Ltd.: Issued an inquiry letter for the procurement of hydrogen storage tanks for the turbine department, with a procurement quantity of 4 units. AECC Hunan Aviation Powerplant Research Institute: Its independently developed MW-class hydrogen-fueled aviation turboprop engine AEP100 successfully completed its maiden flight. The flight lasted 16 minutes and covered a distance of 36 kilometers. Shandong Hi-Speed Service Development Group Co., Ltd.: The winning bid candidates for the Phase II PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production and energy storage portion of the hydrogen highway and zero-carbon service area key technology integration and demonstration Gaomi Service Area hydrogen refueling station comprehensive utilization project were publicly announced. According to the announcement: the first winning bid candidate was Jiangsu Guofu Hydrogen Energy Technology Equipment Co., Ltd. with a bid price of 21.27 million yuan; the second winning bid candidate was Luyu Hydrogen Energy (Xiamen) Technology Co., Ltd. with a bid price of 21.95 million yuan; the third winning bid candidate was Jiangsu Huade Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd. with a bid price of 21.75 million yuan. Patent Applications 1. Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (China) published patent CN2025110028, developing a ceramic-based anion exchange membrane with a laboratory-tested lifespan of 80,000 hours. 2. Johnson Matthey (UK) filed patent WO2025109876, disclosing an Fe-Ni-Mo ternary non-precious metal catalyst formulation with activity approaching that of platinum-based materials. Technology Footprint / Technical Specifications 1. The team led by Professor Yu Ying at Central China Normal University developed a three-dimensional hierarchical nanostructured catalytic electrode, a core part for seawater hydrogen production. 2. Dalian University of Technology designed an electron pump catalyst with an asymmetric photo-responsive structure to maintain the asymmetry of electron distribution. 3. The research team from the School of Electrical Engineering and the State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment at Xi'an Jiaotong University successfully developed a Ru/Ti₃C₂Oₓ@NF bifunctional electrocatalyst for seawater electrolysis. 4. Johnson Matthey and Syensqo achieved efficient recovery and recycling of platinum group metals and ionomers from PEM fuel cells and electrolyzers, significantly reducing the carbon footprint. 5. Teams from Xi'an Jiaotong University and Peking University jointly developed a novel osmium-based catalyst, significantly improving AEM water electrolysis hydrogen production efficiency and economics, facilitating the scale-up of low-cost green hydrogen.

SMM Morning Meeting Summary: Overnight, LME copper was closed due to Easter. On the last trading day before the holiday, it closed at $12,348.5/mt, down 0.99%; overnight, SHFE copper was closed due to the Qingming Festival. On the last trading day before the holiday, it closed at 96,250 yuan/mt, up 0.39%.

Thu, 02-Apr-2026 12:23 Gold investing sentiment never stronger outside financial or Covid crisis... GOLD's SHARPEST price drop in 13 years just saw a record number of investors buy the precious metal on BullionVault as the US and Israel went to war with Iran, writes Adrian Ash at the world-leading marketplace. Private investors have seized on gold's price drop because this sudden retreat has given buyers the chance to reset the clock back before January's historic price spike. After setting new all-time highs and rising for 9 months in a row − gold's longest-ever run of unbroken gains − the price of gold sank by 11.8% in March (-10.5% in UK Pounds, -9.7% in Euros) as the oil-price shock drove profit-taking by central banks, institutional investors and traders needing to cover losses in stocks and bonds. Jumping on the price drop, the number of investors choosing to buy gold on BullionVault − now used by 130,000 private investors worldwide and finding 9-in-10 of its clients in Western Europe and North America − rose by almost one-fifth from February's count (+18.2%). That meant buyers topped this New Year's previous record and outnumbered sellers (who rose 0.4%) nearly 3-to-1. It also means that investing sentiment in gold has only been stronger at the peak of the financial crisis and then the Covid pandemic. Tracking the number of buyers versus sellers on BullionVault each month, the Gold Investor Index is a unique gauge of sentiment built solely from actual gold trading decisions. Rebased so that a reading of 50.0 would signal a perfect balance of buyers and sellers, the Global Gold Investor Index set a lifetime high of 71.7 in September 2011, and it hit a series low of 47.5 in March 2024 when gold prices rose to what were then fresh record prices in the absence of any notable economic or financial stress. This March the Gold Investor Index rose to 60.7, adding 2.3 points to reach its highest reading since August 2020 and extending the uptrend begun on the eve of the US presidential election in autumn 2024 . Having risen so sharply during Trump's first year back in the White House, gold has shocked many observers by falling during the Iran War so far. But while gold now faces headwinds from higher inflation threatening a rise in interest rates, the danger of economic stagflation only boosts the need to spread portfolio risk as the geopolitical order breaks down. The breadth of demand says that gold remains a compelling investment in today's uncertain and increasingly dangerous world. In contrast to gold, investing sentiment in silver fell in March as the more industrially-useful precious metal sank in price, with BullionVault's gauge dropping to a 4-month low. But that still put the Silver Investor Index at 60.1, greater than all but 12 of the series' 170 previous monthly readings. Silver's price crash of 19.2% in US Dollar terms was its worst 1-month loss since September 2011 (the worst in GBP since Sept '11 at 17.5%; the worst since March 2020 in EUR at 16.8%). In response, investors using BullionVault bought almost 1.5 tonnes more than they sold as a group, taking total client holdings to 1,134 tonnes worth more than $2.6bn (£2.0bn, €2.3bn). Gold's price drop meanwhile saw BullionVault users buy more gold than they sold by weight for the first time since October, growing their total holdings by 0.2% to more than 43.4 tonnes worth $6.4 billion (£4.8bn, €5.5bn). New account openings fell by 1/3rd from February's figure (-33.2%) and totalled less than 2/5ths of January's all-time record (-60.5%). But March still marked the 8th strongest month for first-time users of BullionVault in the West London fintech's 21-year history. Altogether, the first 3 months of 2026 have now brought more new customers to BullionVault than all but 3 full calendar years since it opened in April 2005. Adrian Ash Adrian Ash is director of research at BullionVault, the world-leading physical gold, silver, platinum and palladium market for private investors online. Formerly head of editorial at London's top publisher of private-investment advice, he was City correspondent for The Daily Reckoning from 2003 to 2008, and he has now been researching and writing daily analysis of precious metals and the wider financial markets for over 20 years. A frequent guest on BBC radio and television, Adrian is regularly quoted by the Financial Times , MarketWatch and many other respected news outlets, and his views from inside the bullion market have been sought by the Economist magazine, CNBC, Bloomberg, Germany's Handelsblatt and FAZ , plus Italy's Il Sole 24 Ore. See the full archive of Adrian Ash articles on GoldNews. Please Note: All articles published here are to inform your thinking, not lead it. Only you can decide the best place for your money, and any decision you make will put your money at risk. Information or data included here may have already been overtaken by events – and must be verified elsewhere – should you choose to act on it. Please review our Terms & Conditions for accessing Gold News . Source: https://www.bullionvault.com/gold-news/gold-investor-index/buy-gold-iran-war-040220261

Platinum prices held up well today, with the most-traded platinum contract on Guangzhou Futures Exchange, PT2606, closing the morning session at 502.55 yuan/gram, up 1.84. In the spot market, mainstream quotations for spot platinum in the morning session were at a discount of 5-9 yuan/gram to PT2606, or quoted at 5-9 yuan/gram against the SGE sell-1 price. Spot quotations were still basically flat in terms of discount versus the previous trading day. As for spot transactions, SMM learned that suppliers held prices firm in sales due to costs, delivery intentions, and the closure of overseas markets. In the morning session, spot quotations at a discount of 5-6 yuan/gram to the Guangzhou Futures Exchange were difficult to conclude. Some trading firms engaging in both spot and futures market inquired for spot-futures price spread opportunities, but reported that market quotations were relatively high and that there was limited availability of spot cargo at large discounts. Downstream buyers still mainly stayed on the sidelines, while some just-in-time procurement was concluded after negotiated lower premiums. Overall transactions in the spot market remained sluggish.