In May, integrated circuit production was up 25.4% YoY.

[SMM Copper Cathode Rod Flash] The operating rate of copper cathode rod producers increased by 2.46 percentage points WoW to 68.06% this week. The rebound was mainly due to enterprises that had previously cut production resuming normal operations. However, copper cathode rod enterprises reported that new orders were stable, with no significant improvement, and market demand was basically flat compared to last week. Due to end-users' weak acceptance of current copper prices, operating rates in the downstream wire and cable and enamelled wire industries remained stable.

The enamelled wire industry saw a slight increase in operating rates and orders taken this week, though enterprise order differentiation remained pronounced. The winding down of mid-year settlements spurred some downstream restocking, generating only a small, short-term increase in volume. End-users remained in the traditional off-season, with weak essential demand support, leaving overall demand stable but soft, and there was yet no signal of sustained recovery.

Spot premiums in Shandong rose steadily this week. As of Thursday, the average spot copper price in Shandong was quoted at a premium of 50 yuan/mt. This week, the market maintained a weak supply-demand pattern. Two smelters in the province conducted simultaneous maintenance, and the regional circulating supply was already tight. Coupled with the continuous destocking of copper cathode social inventory, the concentrated stockpiling and logistical disruptions caused by typhoon expectations in East China further tightened the spot supply in the market, providing strong support for spot offers. Meanwhile, end-users in the province were in the off-season, with weak purchasing demand. However, suppliers held back from selling and were reluctant to sell at lower prices. Offers in the market diver