1. Thailand & South Korea Markets: Prices climb steadily, bolstered by upbeat expectations for long-term contract premiums CIF quotations and transaction prices of aluminum ingots in Thailand and South Korea moved higher overall this week. The backwardation of LME spot aluminum against the three-month contract narrowed notably. Market optimism over higher Q3 QMJP long-term contract prices continued to build. Sellers lifted spot quotes amid rising costs, pushing transaction prices up accordingly during the week. End-product manufacturers in Southeast Asia and South Korea have extensively adopted Chinese exported aluminum products as raw material substitutes, curbing import demand for primary aluminum ingots. Most downstream players only conduct sporadic restocking based on immediate needs, with little willingness for large-scale inventory buildup. The market has therefore seen a trend of strong prices amid sluggish trading activity . 2. Japan Market: Tight spot supply drives sharp premium hikes; buyers become more price-tolerant Japan’s MJP spot premiums kept climbing this week, mainly driven by acute domestic spot shortages. The Middle East, Japan’s major source of imported aluminum ingots, has delivered lower shipments year-on-year due to geopolitical tensions, shipping disruptions and constrained delivery schedules. No other producing regions can make up the supply gap on a meaningful scale, keeping domestic tradable spot inventories at persistently low levels. Faced with tight supply, Japanese end-users have softened their price stance and grown more receptive to spot cargoes with steep premiums. Meanwhile, bullish expectations for Q3 long-term contract premiums have spilled over to the spot market. The combined factors have pushed Japan’s spot premiums to sharply elevated levels.

\LME aluminium prices have retreated steadily from their late-May peak, falling from nearly $3,680 per metric ton to around $3,480 per metric ton. More notably, the LME aluminium Cash-3M spread narrowed sharply over just one week, dropping from a cash premium of $104.56 per metric ton on June 1 to $15.17 per metric ton on June 9, a loss of nearly $90 per metric ton. This marks the steepest contraction in the backwardation structure since the outbreak of the Middle East conflict.

The Australian Anti-Dumping Commission has issued an affirmative preliminary determination, imposing a 37.8% provisional anti-dumping (AD) duty on light gauge steel studs and tracks imported from China, effective May 26, 2026. The tariff applies to Wenan Kaize Building Material Co., Ltd. and all other Chinese exporters, while the concurrent countervailing duty (CVD) investigation continues without preliminary duties. Initiated on June 30, 2025, upon request by Rondo Building Services Pty Ltd, the case evaluates dumping activities from April 2024 to March 2025. This tariff barrier is expected to force Chinese exporters to reassess their pricing strategies for the Australian market and could lead to increased domestic steel procurement in Australia, temporarily disrupting the region's light gauge steel supply chain and supporting local mill margins.

[SMM Steel] The global flat steel market in 2026 is being reshaped by chronic overcapacity, rising regional protectionism, CBAM-related pressure, and weaker traditional steel margins, according to discussions at Steel 2026 in Izmir. Market participants said weak demand in major economies and continued Chinese exports are putting downward pressure on international flat steel prices. Turkish and European producers are under growing pressure from low-cost Asian imports, tighter EU carbon rules, and shrinking margins. CBAM and quota policies are also changing export costs and trade flows, while service centers are expected to play a larger role in processing, financing, inventory management, and short-term delivery.

[SMM Steel] Nippon Steel reported FY2025-26 net profit of JPY44.75 billion, down sharply from JPY382.97 billion a year earlier, while sales rose 15.7% YoY to JPY10.06 trillion. Operating profit fell 55.7% YoY to JPY242.9 billion. Crude steel output increased 27.5% YoY to 50.48 million mt, while shipments declined 1.5% YoY to 31.16 million mt. The company warned that weak global steel demand, rising low-priced Chinese exports, trade protectionism, and Middle East geopolitical risks could continue pressuring earnings.

A Chinese energy and chemical firm plans to build a magnesium alloy project in Turkmenistan, leveraging local resources and Chinese technology. Meanwhile, Brazil sharply raised anti-dumping duties on Chinese magnesium ingots to $4.07/kg, effectively closing direct export channels.

Walsin Lihwa, Chinese Taiwan's leading stainless steel wire rod and cable producer, expects its stainless steel and cable divisions to outperform their Q1 results in the second quarter of 2026. The company noted that rising raw material costs and Chinese export controls are driving prices higher in the Chinese Taiwan, while China's inventory restocking and European seasonal peaks, coupled with carbon tax impacts, are boosting global demand. Meanwhile, the resources segment is expected to remain stable despite higher NPI production costs in Indonesia. The company’s new subsea cable joint venture with NKT is on track for completion by year-end, with revenue contributions slated for 2028.

8. May 2026 The silver market is showing its dynamic side again this Thursday. Spot silver (XAG/USD) jumps around 2 percent higher during the day and is trading clearly above the psychologically important $80 mark . The white metal is thus continuing its recovery following the sharp pullback of recent weeks—and is currently even outperforming its big brother gold. From All-Time High to Correction—and Back Again To put the recent strength into perspective, it’s worth looking back: In January 2026, silver marked a new all-time high at $121.64 per troy ounce, definitively breaking through the long-standing $50 resistance zone. But after this spectacular breakout came disillusionment: with the onset of the Strait of Hormuz conflict in late February, the precious metal came under massive pressure. By early May, silver had plunged around 22 percent from its highs, driven by concerns that central banks might maintain their restrictive course longer in light of rising energy prices. The current movement is noteworthy in this respect: according to Kitco , the silver price rose to $79.92 per ounce on May 8, 2026—a gain of 2.09 percent from the previous day. Silver futures climbed in parallel to $80.625. This is more than a technical reflex: silver is thus trading significantly above the early May level, when the troy ounce was still trading below $73. The Dual Leverage: Safe-Haven and Industrial Metal What distinguishes silver from gold is the metal’s hybrid character. Around half of global silver demand comes from industrial applications—from solar modules to electronics to medical technology. This dual nature explains why silver swings more violently in both directions than gold: in phases of high risk aversion, the safe-haven effect takes hold; in phases of economic expansion, industrial demand picks up. The structural drivers in particular remain intact. Growth impulses continue to come from photovoltaics, electromobility, semiconductors, and AI infrastructure. Several analysts expect industrial demand to exceed supply in 2026 as well. Added to this is a scarcity component the market is underestimating: the lead time for new silver mines is often seven to ten years, and since January 2026, Chinese export restrictions have additionally burdened global supply. Investment demand also remains robust. According to the latest World Silver Survey data, global physical investment demand in 2025/early 2026 was at a multi-year high—driven primarily by Indian investors and a notable shift in European precious metals trading toward silver. The Gold-Silver Ratio Sends Mixed Signals The development of the gold-silver ratio is intriguing, traditionally one of the most important valuation indicators in the precious metals market. Currently, the ratio stands at around 61, after temporarily falling to a low of 43. The historical average ranges between 65 and 75. In other words: silver is neither dramatically undervalued nor clearly overvalued relative to gold. The pronounced relative undervaluation that was the central driver for silver bulls in recent years has largely been worked off. This observation calls for caution. LBBW strategists, for example, argue that sustained outperformance of silver versus gold is rather unlikely given the weak global economy and high industrial dependence. Those investing in silver are therefore no longer just buying the hope of ratio normalization, but are increasingly betting on a classic cyclical upswing. Technical Analysis: The Next Critical Levels From a technical perspective, silver stands at a technically delicate point. The first resistance runs at $81.81, followed by $82.50; a breakthrough would unlock the next price target at $84. On the downside, the central support lies at $73.14, followed by $72 and $70.90. As long as silver holds above the $73 region, the overall picture remains constructive. Rally Launch or Overextended Reflex? The honest answer is: both are possible—and that’s precisely what makes silver so attractive yet risky in the current environment. Arguments for a new upward thrust include structural supply scarcity, sustained investment demand, and the prospect that the Fed could return to loose monetary policy in the medium term. Once gold resumes its uptrend, silver historically tends to follow at significantly higher speed—the classic high-beta pattern. Arguments against include the fragile geopolitical situation in the Persian Gulf, the still restrictive monetary policy, and the risk that an economic slowdown could dampen industrial demand. The recent price behavior—a loss of around 22 percent in just a few weeks—also demonstrates how painful this metal’s volatility can be. Conclusion for investors: Silver remains the most exciting precious metal in 2026—but also the most demanding. The recent rebound above $80 is an initial bullish signal that makes a technical bottom formation more likely. However, a sustainable trend reversal requires breaking the $82 mark. Those entering should be aware that short-term fluctuations of 5 to 10 percent in either direction are normal. For strategically oriented precious metals investors, this changes nothing about the fundamental attractiveness—on the contrary: corrections like those of recent weeks have historically often been the better entry windows. Source： https://goldinvest.de/en/silver-back-above-critical-level-why-the-metal-is-currently-outperforming-gold/

Turkey's crude steel production grew by 5.3% year-on-year to 9.7 million metric tons (mt) in the first quarter of 2026, supported by a 6.4% output increase in March to 3.3 million mt. Meanwhile, domestic finished steel consumption surged 8.9% year-on-year to 9.9 million mt in Q1, but the foreign trade balance weakened as steel exports dropped 6.8% to 3.5 million mt while imports climbed 2.6% to 4.3 million mt, pushing the export-to-import ratio down to 77.7%. Although Middle East supply chain shifts and reduced Chinese export aggression opened market opportunities in Europe, producers face mounting operational pressures and narrowing profit margins due to scrap prices approaching $400/mt, surging freight rates, and stringent EU import regulations.

Starting from the panic low of $4,099 on March 23, the gold price has slowly but steadily worked its way upward over the past four weeks. Even though momentum is gradually fading and geopolitical tensions continue to act as a disruptive factor, the persistence of the recovery movement remains remarkable. Higher price targets in the range between $4,900 and $5,100 remain active and could be reached soon.