Entering March, as the bullish sentiment in precious metal prices weakened, some lead smelters became less willing to obtain silver-bearing lead concentrates raw materials by paying lower TCs. Although lead concentrate TCs have yet to see a substantive rebound, smelters generally stated that it remained difficult for mainstream lead concentrate TC quotations to rise in March, but the phenomenon of transactions involving scrambling for ore at extremely low prices has disappeared. As the absolute level of silver prices can still enable smelters to obtain relatively substantial profits, in March smelters did not have expectations of negotiating downward the relevant payable indicator.
Mar 6, 2026 15:12[SMM Tin Morning Update: SHFE Tin Prices Dropped Slightly in the Night Session Before Fluctuating and Rebounding; Downstream Enterprises’ Willingness to Purchase Cooled Significantly]
Mar 6, 2026 08:55
In January 2026, the European Union and India reached a historic Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with the elimination of steel tariffs of up to 22% becoming a major market focus. However, clearing the policy fog of "bilateral exemptions" and analyzing actual export and carbon emission data reveals that the steel industry faces a highly asymmetric trade reshaping. This seemingly fair reduction is actually Europe trading a "capped" ticket for India's "uncapped" massive incremental market.
Mar 5, 2026 11:11[SHFE/LME Price Ratio Rebounded and Hovered Around 7.4]: This week, the SHFE/LME price ratio rebounded and fluctuated around just below 7.4, and the zinc ingot import window remained closed. Overseas, continued destocking supported the upward shift in the center of LME zinc; subsequently, as geopolitical developments fueled inflation concerns, a stronger US dollar pressured the base metals sector, and LME zinc retreated after rapid rise, with its center moving lower.
Mar 6, 2026 15:39This week, ferrous metals held up well within a narrow range. Over the weekend, turmoil in the Middle East and the escalation of the U.S.-Iran conflict triggered wild swings in the international energy market, sending energy and precious metals sharply higher, while ferrous metals—except coking coal and coke—mostly retreated after rapid rise following the open; mid-week, although there were bullish expectations around the Two Sessions, no new news emerged, the steel market remained relatively stable, and the pattern of raw materials outperforming finished steel products continued; in the latter half of the week, the Two Sessions’ macro conclusions met expectations, but had already been priced in by futures earlier, and high-level fluctuations in international oil prices continued to support raw materials, in turn pushing ferrous metals to edge higher on a steady footing. In the spot market, in the second week after the holiday, the market gradually resumed work and resumed production, but with insufficient momentum from futures, overall willingness to purchase was not high, and transactions were mainly concluded at low prices......
Mar 6, 2026 18:35SMM reported on March 5 that this week, total inventory across the two major stainless steel markets of Wuxi and Foshan showed a slight upward trend, rising from 1.0161 million mt on February 26, 2026 to 1.0164 million mt on March 5, 2026, up 0.3% WoW. This week, stainless steel social inventory increased slightly, remaining at a high level above 1 million mt. The market had entered the traditional peak consumption season of “Golden March and Silver April.” Although downstream end-users had gradually resumed work and production, the pace of actual demand release was slow, and the strength of the recovery still needed to be verified. SS futures lacked momentum for further upside and fluctuated within the week, making it difficult for spot prices to improve. Wait-and-see sentiment strengthened, and overall confidence pulled back compared with the previous period. Supply side, stainless steel mills’ expected planned production for March had increased significantly, and supply pressure was gradually emerging. Although supply and demand had yet to achieve a good match and the effectiveness of social inventory drawdown remained uncertain, stainless steel currently had strong cost support. Nickel ore-related news continued to ferment and provided a floor, while steel mills were proactive in maintaining prices and boosting shipments, fully aligning with procurement demand after downstream resumption of work, effectively curbing further inventory buildup. Overall, this week’s inventory trend was mainly driven by factors including a slower-than-expected downstream recovery, increased supply expectations, a pullback in market confidence, and steel mills’ active shipments. Although there was still a short-term risk of inventory buildup, supported by strong cost-side support and steel mills’ proactive adjustments, stainless steel social inventory was expected to remain broadly stable. Whether inventories can be effectively drawn down going forward will still hinge on the actual pace of downstream demand recovery.
Mar 6, 2026 14:26Discontinuation and Addition of Iron Ore Data Points in the SMM Database
PriceMar 6, 2026 19:02As the Chinese New Year holiday is around the corner, Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) hereby informs you of our metal price update arrangement during the holiday period to ensure you can make proper arra
PriceFeb 14, 2026 10:22Dear User, Greetings! In recent years, the development of the secondary zinc industry has attracted significant attention however, the domestic supply of secondary zinc oxide has become increasingly tight. In contrast, Southeast Asia boasts abundant resources of secondary zinc oxide raw materials at relatively low prices, which has prompted many Chinese enterprises to establish production facilities in the region, with a considerable number choosing Vietnam. Meanwhile, amid growing uncertainties in international trade, an increasing number of companies are relocating their plants to Vietnam to achieve integrated procurement, production, and sales, gradually forming a market trend. To keep pace with the globalization of international trade and the market development of secondary zinc oxide both domestically and overseas, and to reflect the true price fluctuations of secondary zinc oxide in the global market, SMM plans to launch the CIF Imported Secondary Zinc Oxide Payable . The SMM CIF Imported Secondary Zinc Oxide Payable is an indicative price formed and published by SMM according to this methodology, which can be used by trading parties as a reference for settling secondary zinc oxide trades from Vietnam. This price reflects the mainstream price of the CIF Imported Secondary Zinc Oxide Payable for each month. The price will be officially launched on November 28, 2025, and historical prices can be viewed simultaneously on the SMM website (smm.cn). The price will be published by 18:00 on the last working day of each month. Price Definition: The mainstream transaction price of CIF Imported Secondary Zinc Oxide Payable in actual trades during the month. Going forward, SMM will continue to monitor changes in the zinc industry chain market, optimize SMM prices, and better serve the industry! For any inquiries regarding the price, please contact Zinc Analyst Hua Lin at 021-20707885 hualin@smm.cn. SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. Zinc Research Team November 21, 2025
PriceNov 21, 2025 18:11