[SMM Iron & Steel] Fortescue Reports 23% Profit Surge on Record Iron Ore Shipments

[Silicon Steel Pattern Drastic Change: High-End Surges, Low-End Exits the Market, Structural Capacity Restructuring Is Imminent!] Looking ahead to the next five years, several silicon steel projects are currently awaiting commissioning. However, the issue of domestic silicon steel oversupply persists, and further capacity expansion is expected to intensify the supply-demand imbalance, continuously putting pressure on silicon steel prices. Meanwhile, the price of hot-rolled coil as the cost base remains firm, leading to shrinking profits for silicon steel producers. Even leading enterprises see meager profits or even losses when producing low-grade products, with only high-grade silicon steel maintaining relatively good profitability. Coupled with mandatory energy efficiency standard upgrades at the policy level, the commissioning of high-end silicon steel capacity and the phasing out of outdated capacity are imminent. The structural restructuring of silicon steel capacity has officially begun!!!

[Supply and Demand Sides Fail to Achieve Effective Docking, GO Silicon Steel Prices May Remain Stable Next Week] Market-wise, the silicon steel market was largely closed during the Chinese New Year. In the first week after the holiday, traders gradually resumed work, but there were no substantial transactions in the market, with the main focus being on sorting out and executing pre-holiday orders. Grain-oriented silicon steel resources shipped by steel mills during the Chinese New Year continued to arrive at ports, coupled with the fact that demand had not yet picked up in the first week after the holiday, leading to a slight accumulation of inventory in the trade sector, with both Hi-B resources and ordinary CGO grain-oriented silicon steel arriving in varying amounts.

Chile's Ministry of Health has officially authorized the use of copper slag as artificial aggregate in construction, such as for road surfaces. Published into law on February 12, 2026, Supreme Decree 46 aims to transform a significant mining waste product into a valuable resource. Industry group Consejo Minero stated the regulation promotes the circular economy by turning a historical liability into an input for infrastructure. Mining companies Anglo American and Codelco supported the effort through pilot projects demonstrating the material's safe application in paving and public spaces.