SMM, September 21:
Rare earth ore:
Prices: Medium-yttrium, europium-rich ore prices were about 247,000 yuan/mt, monazite prices were about 43,000 yuan/mt, and rare earth carbonate was about 59,000 yuan/mt.
Supply and demand: Currently, although the supply of rare earth ion-adsorption ore in Southeast Asia has recovered slightly, oxide prices remain generally stable, and overall rare earth ore transaction prices are in a stalemate.
Rare earth oxides:
Prices: Pr-Nd oxide ended last week's quotes in consolidation; dysprosium oxide quotes held at previous levels, and terbium oxide consolidated to digest earlier declines.
Supply and demand: Last week, Pr-Nd oxide saw no adjustments, with the cost side returning to neutral and suppliers having no room to maneuver either up or down. Metal enterprises leaned toward pushing for lower prices in their inquiries, and transactions remained limited to sporadic rigid demand. In the dysprosium oxide market, there were almost no inquiries and few transactions changing hands. Terbium oxide quotes did not follow the decline in the metal segment, as suppliers were unwilling to make further concessions, and transactions at relatively high prices remained stagnant.
Rare earth metals:
Prices: Pr-Nd alloy quotes remained stable, with market trading still in a stalemate; dysprosium-iron alloy quotes pulled back slightly; terbium metal quotes continued to weaken.
Supply and demand: Last week, Pr-Nd alloy quotes remained stable, with metal plants making limited adjustments and narrowing their room for concessions. However, downstream magnetic material enterprises continued to make tentative inquiries, with insufficient willingness to rush to buy amid continuous price rises. Transactions were mainly small rigid-demand orders, and overall trading showed no significant improvement. In the medium-heavy rare earth segment, terbium metal quotes pulled back slightly, with more suppliers selling at concessions, but high-priced transactions remained blocked. Dysprosium-iron alloy quotes moved lower along with the market, and inquiries remained sluggish.
NdFeB blanks:
Prices: NdFeB blank N38 (Ce) closed at 212-222 yuan/kg, NdFeB blank 38M closed at 250-270 yuan/kg, and NdFeB 38UH closed at 357-377 yuan/kg.
Supply and demand: Last week, NdFeB blank quotes remained stable for the time being, mainly because stable raw material prices kept NdFeB prices steady. In terms of trading, domestic demand was affected by the overall consumption environment, with limited growth in terminal production in September. Motor factories purchased as needed, making it difficult to generate large-volume stockpiling orders in the short term.
NdFeB scrap:
Prices: Pr-Nd recycled from NdFeB scrap prices were raised slightly, while dysprosium recycled from NdFeB scrap and terbium recycled from NdFeB scrap prices held steady.
Supply and demand: Last week, scrap market prices were raised slightly, mainly influenced by oxide prices stopping falling and stabilizing. Recycling enterprises, facing difficulties in purchasing at low prices, slightly raised their external purchase quotes. However, scrap suppliers overall maintained a strong wait-and-see sentiment, the circulation of compliant tax-inclusive scrap in the market was limited, and overall market trading performance was poor.
