SMM, October 16: Rare earth market prices fluctuated narrowly overall today. Specifically, in the oxide market, Pr-Nd oxide prices were flat, gadolinium oxide prices fell by 3,500 yuan/mt, dysprosium oxide prices were flat, terbium oxide prices were flat, holmium oxide prices were flat, and erbium oxide prices rose by 7,500 yuan/mt.
In the metals market, Pr-Nd alloy prices fell by 1,500 yuan/mt, gadolinium-iron alloy prices fell by 2,000 yuan/mt, dysprosium-iron alloy prices were flat, terbium metal prices were flat, holmium-iron prices were flat, and lanthanum-cerium metal prices were flat.
In markets outside China, FOB prices saw terbium oxide fall by $20/kg, terbium metal fall by $30/kg, dysprosium oxide fall by $3/kg, and Pr-Nd oxide rise by $1/kg, while praseodymium oxide, neodymium oxide, praseodymium metal, neodymium metal, and Pr-Nd alloy prices were flat; CIF prices for Pr-Nd oxide, Pr-Nd alloy, and neodymium oxide were all flat.
Currently, rare earth market prices are fluctuating narrowly overall, with most varieties holding steady and only a few segments edging lower. Focusing on the Pr-Nd market, the quotation range for Pr-Nd oxide remained unchanged, and suppliers maintained a steady quoting stance; Pr-Nd alloy quotations shifted slightly lower, with high-end offers pulling back as the metal segment conceded some ground amid insufficient transaction follow-through. On the transaction front, downstream procurement continued at a need-based pace, with no improvement in inquiry activity and limited actual deals.
In the medium-heavy rare earth market, the gadolinium segment weakened notably, with both oxide and metal prices falling in tandem; the terbium segment remained stable, with both oxide and metal quotations unchanged as prices consolidated after stopping falling; the dysprosium and holmium segments were also flat; erbium products continued to climb, with the quotation center rising further, making it the only variety to gain on the day.
Overall, the rare earth market fluctuated narrowly today, with the metal side of the Pr-Nd chain conceding slightly on price while the raw material side held firm; in medium-heavy rare earths, the gadolinium segment weakened and erbium products extended gains, while terbium, dysprosium, and holmium segments held steady, leaving the market without a unified direction. On the transaction front, downstream procurement was mainly need-based, with no improvement in inquiry activity, and price changes remained driven primarily by adjustments on the quotation side.
In the short term, the Pr-Nd segment is likely to move sideways amid insufficient transaction follow-through, with the strength shift between the metal and raw material sides still depending on the pace of downstream order releases; in medium-heavy rare earths, attention should be paid to whether the gadolinium segment's weakness spreads to other varieties after its decline, whether erbium products' gains can be supported by transactions after their consecutive rise, and whether the terbium and dysprosium segments remain stable in the near term.
