SMM, July 22 –
In the metals market:
As of the midday close, domestic base metals mostly rose. SHFE copper gained 1.34%, SHFE aluminum added 0.72%, SHFE zinc advanced 0.78%, SHFE lead fell 0.85%, SHFE tin climbed 1.11%, and SHFE nickel jumped 1.36%.
Furthermore, the most-traded cast aluminum futures contract rose 0.59%, the most-traded alumina contract settled on par with 2,723 yuan/mt. The most-traded lithium carbonate contract fell 0.5%. The most-traded silicon metal contract fell 0.42%. The most-traded polysilicon futures contract rose 0.59%.
Ferrous metals showed mixed performance. Iron ore fell 1%, rebar edged lower, and HRC was flat at 3,284 yuan/mt. Stainless steel rose 0.61%. In the coking coal and coke segment, the most-traded coking coal contract gained 1.56%, and the most-traded coke contract advanced 0.66%.
In overseas base metals, as of 11:45 AM, LME metals mostly rose. LME copper fell 0.3%, LME aluminum edged up, and LME lead, LME zinc, and LME tin all posted gains within 0.2%. LME nickel rose 0.52%.
In precious metals, as of 11:45 AM, COMEX gold rose 1.53% and COMEX silver gained 1.64%. In domestic precious metals, SHFE gold rose 2.8%, and the most-traded SHFE silver contract surged 4.79%.
Additionally, as of the midday close, the most-traded platinum futures contract rose 4.2%, and the most-traded palladium futures contract jumped 5.44%.
As of the midday close, the most-traded container shipping contract on the European route fell 0.52% to 2,785 points.
As of 11:45 AM on July 22, some futures midday market conditions:
Spot and Fundamentals
Silver: U.S.-Iran ceasefire negotiations and technical corrections drove a silver price rebound, which may maintain a fluctuating trend in the short term. Spot market demand was sluggish, with transactions near parity, and the pattern of weak supply and demand persists...
Macro Front
China:
[GAC: Accelerate Implementation of 57 Port Facility Renovation Projects under the 15th Five-Year Plan] This morning (July 22), the State Council Information Office held a press conference to introduce the implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan, accelerating customs modernization, and serving the building of a trade power. Ports are the gateway to opening-up. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the customs will accelerate the implementation of major projects and key border port projects under the national 15th Five-Year Plan, simultaneously carry out 57 port facility renovation projects under the plan, and speed up the construction of railway ports such as Turugart and Ganqimaodu. This will help further optimize the layout of port opening. (CCTV News)
[Beijing Rolls Out "Ten Go-Global Measures" to Reduce Burden and Empower Digital Economy Enterprises Going Global] On July 21, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology held a press conference on the H1 2026 economic performance of Beijing's industrial and information software industry. It was introduced at the meeting that at the end of last year, Beijing issued the "Three-Year Action Plan for the Construction of the Beijing Digital Economy Enterprise Go-Global Innovation Service Base (2026–2028)", setting out the goals and tasks for Beijing enterprises going global over the next three years. Drawing on the operational practices of the Beijing Go-Global Base and the core needs of nearly a hundred digital economy enterprises, Beijing recently issued the "Several Measures to Accelerate the Promotion of Digital Economy Enterprises Going Global" (referred to as the "Ten Go-Global Measures"), complementarily, providing ten financial and resource support measures to comprehensively reduce burdens and empower enterprises’ international development. The policy mainly focuses on the following three aspects: first, broadening overseas connection channels to overcome market expansion challenges; second, improving full-process supporting services to reduce cross-border compliance costs; third, fostering an international digital ecosystem to build a capital go-global brand. (Jin10 Data APP)
[Guangzhou: plans to steadily and orderly advance the completed home sales system and promote the reform of real estate development financing methods]During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Guangzhou plans to actively and prudently plan pilot projects for the completed home sales system, selecting suitable land parcels for pilot implementation at an appropriate time. It will strengthen financial service support, encourage commercial banks to increase development loan quotas for completed home sales projects and offer preferential interest rates. For completed home sales land parcels, support such as installment payment of land premiums and public resource allocation will be provided. For projects that continue to use the presale system, supervision of presale funds for commodity housing will be standardized to regulate fund usage. At the same time, financial coordination will be strengthened to advance the reform of real estate development financing methods, driving a shift in real estate development enterprise financing from reliance on the creditworthiness of the entity to meeting the reasonable financing needs of real estate projects. For each project, one bank or a banking syndicate will be designated as the lead bank. Funds from project development, construction, and sales will be deposited with the lead bank, which will ensure that the project company’s reasonable financing needs are met, forming a virtuous cycle mechanism where the lead bank and the project company share interests and risks. Closed management requirements for real estate project funds will be implemented. Before project delivery, it is strictly prohibited for investors to illegally withdraw or divert the project company’s sales and financing funds, and capital withdrawal or early dividend distribution is strictly prohibited. The Guangzhou Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau is publicly soliciting opinions on the "Guangzhou Housing Development 15th Five-Year Plan (Draft for Comments)." It will optimize the supply scale and pace of commercial residential land to promote market supply-demand balance. High-quality urban design and "good housing" construction requirements will be incorporated into land transfer conditions to enhance residential building quality. Real estate development enterprises are encouraged to shift from "scale-oriented" to "quality-oriented" approaches, continuously optimize standards, and build more livable high-quality housing. Support for housing will be steadily advanced for newly introduced talent, newly employed university graduates, newly married or first-time childbearing families, families with multiple children, and families supporting elderly members, so as to reduce the burden of purchasing a first home. Increase policy support for "selling old and buying new" homes, and implement relevant tax incentives. Standardize real estate brokerage services, and guide all types of real estate agencies to operate in accordance with the law, compete fairly, and clearly mark prices. Strengthen oversight of existing-home transactions, and establish and improve regulatory systems for transaction funds for existing homes. (Jin10 Data APP)
[PBOC reverse repo operation resulted in a net withdrawal of 350.5 billion yuan today] The PBOC conducted 76 billion yuan in 7-day reverse repo operations today, and with 426.5 billion yuan in 7-day reverse repos maturing, a net withdrawal of 350.5 billion yuan was realized on the day.
US Dollar:
As of 11:45, the US dollar index fell 0.07 to 101.14. Markets await next week's Fed meeting for clues on the interest rate outlook and are closely monitoring developments in the Middle East conflict. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, the probability of the Fed keeping rates unchanged in July is 74.9%, with a 25.1% chance of a cumulative 25-basis-point hike. For September, the probability of holding rates steady is 28.9%, while the odds of a cumulative 25-bp hike are 55.7% and a 50-bp hike are 15.4%. (Jin10 Data APP)
Furthermore, according to Politico, House Republicans on Tuesday passed a procedural vote 241–211, clearing the way for a short-term government funding bill and the "budget reconciliation 3.0" package. The stopgap funding measure aims to keep the federal government operating through December, while the budget framework provides the basis for a $95 billion partisan policy package. House Republican leadership hopes to pass the temporary funding bill later Tuesday. The House is then expected to vote on the budget resolution on Wednesday. Republicans intend to use this budget framework to begin drafting and passing a third conservative policy bill this Congress without any Democratic support.
Other Currencies:
Driven by a weak yen and surging oil prices, Japan's import value was up 25.4% YoY in June to a record 11.3 trillion yen (approx. $69.25 billion). This gain exceeded the market's previous expectation of a 21% rise and marked the fastest pace since November 2022, resulting in a trade deficit of 406.9 billion yen (approx. $2.49 billion) in June, far above the forecast of 120 billion yen. Although crude oil imports fell 13.7% YoY in volume terms, their value soared 59.3%, with the yen-denominated unit price also hitting a record high, underscoring that current inflationary pressures are largely driven by exchange-rate factors rather than demand growth. This means that compared with possible near-term changes in oil demand, the stronger yen has a more pronounced effect in easing import cost pressure. On the export front, resilience from AI-related data center demand provides the Bank of Japan with a source of real economic growth that can be used to offset inflation risks. These combined factors suggest that the BOJ is more likely to follow a cautious, gradual path of rate hikes rather than sudden aggressive tightening. Markets currently expect the BOJ to hold rates steady next week, while maintaining a tightening bias. (Jin10 Data APP)
The Reserve Bank of Australia said the latest survey results show that inflation remains the top economic concern for Australians, while public understanding of how monetary policy works still has a “fundamental gap.” The survey is part of the RBA’s effort to enhance transparency and respond to recommendations from the 2023 independent review. Since early last year, the central bank has conducted three survey rounds, gathering feedback from about 9,000 Australians and using the results to improve its communication with the public. The survey found: “Trust in the RBA is comparable to trust in other Australian and international institutions and has been stable since early 2025,” though trust levels vary across different groups. “Groups with higher trust typically have lower inflation expectations, highlighting the importance of trust itself and its key role in the transmission of monetary policy.” (Jin10 Data APP)
Data highlights:
Data such as UK June CPI MoM and UK June RPI MoM will be released today.
Crude oil:
As of 11:45, both oil benchmarks rose, with WTI up 1.03% and Brent up 1.15%.
Trump downplayed the likelihood of immediate negotiations with Iran, and rising US-Iran tensions pushed oil prices higher. Higher oil prices directly exacerbated inflation concerns. (Wall Street CN)
Data: US crude oil inventory increased last week. US API crude oil inventory for the week ending July 17 was 2.603 million barrels, versus an expected -500,000 barrels and a prior -564,000 barrels. US API gasoline inventory for the week ending July 17 was -1.379 million barrels, versus an expected -1.81 million barrels and a prior -1.664 million barrels. (Jin10 Data)
Spot market roundup:
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![Early morning seller offers remain high, SHFE/LME price ratio weakens and few deals heard [SMM Yangshan copper premiums]](https://imgqn.smm.cn/usercenter/LbxVx20251217171714.jpeg)
