[SMM Steel] The US Department of Commerce ruled that POSCO and POSCO International Corporation did not dump carbon and alloy steel wire rods in the US during May 2023–April 2024, revising the preliminary 0.51% margin to 0%. As a result, US Customs and Border Protection will liquidate relevant imports without anti-dumping duties, with instructions to be issued after 35 days. The ruling covers hot-rolled carbon and alloy steel wire rods under multiple HTSUS codes.

As of April 3, the average domestic zinc concentrate TC dropped to 1,350 yuan/mt in metal content, and the imported zinc concentrate TC fell to -$14.5/dmt, with the import market once again entering negative territory. After Chinese New Year, domestic mines gradually resumed production — so why did zinc concentrate TCs decline again in April?

[CAAM: Import Value of Auto Parts Reached $1.47 Billion in February, Down 5.4% YoY] According to data from the General Administration of Customs compiled by CAAM, in February 2026, the import value of auto parts reached $1.47 billion, down 20.8% MoM and 5.4% YoY. From January to February 2026, the import value of auto parts was $3.32 billion, up 7.1% YoY.

[SMM Analysis] Winds Rise in the Middle East, Ripples Spread Worldwide:Geopolitical Special Discussion and Q2 Outloo the Export Landscapek(2) Copyright and Intellectual Property Statement: This report is independently created or compiled by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "SMM"), and SMM legally enjoys complete copyright and related intellectual property rights. The copyright, trademark rights, domain name rights, commercial data information property rights, and other related intellectual property rights of all content contained in this report (including but not limited to information, articles, data, charts, pictures, audio, video, logos, advertisements, trademarks, trade names, domain names, layout designs, etc.) are owned or held by SMM or its related right holders. The above rights are strictly protected by relevant laws and regulations of the People's Republic of China, such as the Copyright Law of the People's Republic of China, the Trademark Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Anti-Unfair Competition Law of the People's Republic of China, as well as applicable international treaties. Without prior written authorization from SMM, no institution or individual may: 1. Use all or part of this report in any form (including but not limited to reprinting, modifying, selling, transferring, displaying, translating, compiling, disseminating); 2. Disclose the content of this report to any third party; 3. License or authorize any third party to use the content of this report; 4. For any unauthorized use, SMM will legally pursue the legal responsibilities of the infringer, demanding that they bear legal responsibilities including but not limited to contractual breach liability, returning unjust enrichment, and compensating for direct and indirect economic losses. Data Source Statement: (Except for publicly available information, other data in this report are derived from publicly available information (including but not limited to industry news, seminars, exhibitions, corporate financial reports, brokerage reports, data from the National Bureau of Statistics, customs import and export data, various data published by major associations and institutions, etc.), market exchanges, and comprehensive analysis and reasonable inferences made by the research team based on SMM's internal database models. This information is for reference only and does not constitute decision-making advice. SMM reserves the final interpretation right of the terms in this statement and the right to adjust and modify the content of the statement according to actual circumstances.

Q1 has already passed, and during Q1 this year, disruptions to zinc concentrates outside China occurred frequently. In addition to short-term shipment disruptions in Iran and Australia, some mines also lowered their own production guidance, prompting SMM to adjust the global zinc concentrates supply-demand balance accordingly.

[SMM Analysis] Winds Rise in the Middle East, Ripples Spread Worldwide:Geopolitical Special Discussion and Q2 Outloo the Export Landscapek(1) Copyright and Intellectual Property Statement: This report is independently created or compiled by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "SMM"), and SMM legally enjoys complete copyright and related intellectual property rights. The copyright, trademark rights, domain name rights, commercial data information property rights, and other related intellectual property rights of all content contained in this report (including but not limited to information, articles, data, charts, pictures, audio, video, logos, advertisements, trademarks, trade names, domain names, layout designs, etc.) are owned or held by SMM or its related right holders. The above rights are strictly protected by relevant laws and regulations of the People's Republic of China, such as the Copyright Law of the People's Republic of China, the Trademark Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Anti-Unfair Competition Law of the People's Republic of China, as well as applicable international treaties. Without prior written authorization from SMM, no institution or individual may: 1. Use all or part of this report in any form (including but not limited to reprinting, modifying, selling, transferring, displaying, translating, compiling, disseminating); 2. Disclose the content of this report to any third party; 3. License or authorize any third party to use the content of this report; 4. For any unauthorized use, SMM will legally pursue the legal responsibilities of the infringer, demanding that they bear legal responsibilities including but not limited to contractual breach liability, returning unjust enrichment, and compensating for direct and indirect economic losses. Data Source Statement: (Except for publicly available information, other data in this report are derived from publicly available information (including but not limited to industry news, seminars, exhibitions, corporate financial reports, brokerage reports, data from the National Bureau of Statistics, customs import and export data, various data published by major associations and institutions, etc.), market exchanges, and comprehensive analysis and reasonable inferences made by the research team based on SMM's internal database models. This information is for reference only and does not constitute decision-making advice. SMM reserves the final interpretation right of the terms in this statement and the right to adjust and modify the content of the statement according to actual circumstances.

[SMM Steel] ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih lost around 300,000 mt of steel exports in Q1 2026 after the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism added $60–90/mt in extra costs, prompting EU customers to cancel orders. The company had planned to ship 1.2–1.25 million mt to Europe in 2026, nearly half of its production, but access to the EU market has been significantly disrupted.

Maxeon Solar Technologies has filed for voluntary judicial management in Singapore to seek an arrangement with creditors and avoid liquidation. The decision follows two years of financial struggles triggered by the continued detention of its modules by 'US' Customs and Border Protection ('CBP') and recent legal actions seeking over $70 million in damages. After 'CBP' detained its Mexico-made products in 2024 and its former parent SunPower filed for bankruptcy, Maxeon pivoted its focus entirely to the 'US' market. In February 2026, the company abandoned its planned $1.9 billion facility in New Mexico in favor of using third-party 'US' manufacturers. An initial hearing is set for April 9.

Recently, Fuga Intelligent announced on its official account that the Poly (Hefei) 6.8 MWh industrial and commercial ESS project, for which it provided ESS equipment and end-to-end solutions and which was invested in and developed by Funeng New Energy, successfully completed grid connection acceptance and officially entered the stable operation stage. The successful implementation of this project was not only a major achievement of the deep cooperation among the three parties, but also highlighted Fuga’s technical strength and customised services capabilities in the industrial and commercial ESS sector. The successful delivery of the Poly (Hefei) project marked another successful practice for Fuga in the industrial and commercial ESS sector, further consolidating its market position in the energy storage industry.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) estimates it will take up to 12 months to fully resume aluminium production at its Al Taweelah smelter in Abu Dhabi following the Iranian missile and drone attack. The attack caused power loss and an uncontrolled shutdown, with molten metal solidifying inside the potlines, resulting in significant damage to the smelter and casthouse. EGA CEO Abdulnasser Bin Kalban said the company is assessing the damage and will work closely with affected customers. He noted that while the smelter may take up to a year to restart, the Al Taweelah alumina refinery (2.4 million tpy) and recycling plant (185,000 tpy) could resume operations earlier.