【Flash | Lumentum’s AI Optical Growth Supports the Indium Phosphide (InP) Demand Outlook】

Mongolia’s National Statistics Office reported molybdenum concentrate output, on a contained-metal basis, of 382.0 tonnes in August 2026, down 10.0% MoM but up 8.7% YoY. Jan–Aug output totaled 3,672.5 tonnes, up 9.2% YoY. August production was 42.4 tonnes below July but 30.5 tonnes above a year earlier. Mongolia’s cumulative supply therefore remained ahead of 2025 despite softer short-term output. The table provides no company-level breakdown, so the cause of the monthly decline cannot be confirmed.

Peru’s Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) reported July molybdenum output of 3,606.8 tonnes, up 15.0% YoY. Jan–Jul output totaled 22,384.0 tonnes, down 1.8%. Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde produced 1,012.2 tonnes, up 30.3%; Anglo American Quellaveco produced 458.1 tonnes, up 23.3%; and Minera Las Bambas produced 336.7 tonnes, up 16.3%. Southern Peru Copper Corporation’s output fell 1.6% to 1,214.7 tonnes. Gains at Cerro Verde, Quellaveco and Las Bambas drove the monthly rebound and narrowed the cumulative supply deficit.

China's high carbon ferrochrome (HC FeCr) imports totalled approximately 157,610 tonnes in August 2026, up 18.7% month-on-month from around 132,812 tonnes in July, per Chinese customs data. The standout development was South Africa's return to the supply mix, with shipments of approximately 50,316 tonnes in August, a sharp reversal from zero recorded in July. This immediately placed South Africa as China's second-largest HC FeCr supplier for the month, accounting for roughly 31.9% of total imports. Kazakhstan remained China's largest HC FeCr supplier in August, though volumes eased to approximately 73,817 tonnes, down 12.6% MoM from July's approximately 84,429 tonnes. With South Africa's re-entry diluting the overall mix, Kazakhstan's share of total imports fell to roughly 46.8%, down from around 63.6% in July. Zimbabwe's shipments declined sharply to approximately 8,323 tonnes in August, down 63.7% MoM from around 22,901 tonnes in July, with its import share contracting to roughly 5.3% from 17.2%. India's shipments eased to approximately 20,879 tonnes in August, down 12.6% MoM from around 23,876 tonnes in July, with its share of total imports slipping to roughly 13.3% from 18.0%. Imports from other origins rose to approximately 4,274 tonnes in August, up sharply from around 1,607 tonnes in July, lifting their share to roughly 2.7% from 1.2%. Overall, August's data marks a notable rebalancing of China's HC FeCr supply base, with South Africa's re-entry offsetting pullbacks from Kazakhstan, Zimbabwe, and India to drive the month's overall import growth.