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Federal Reserve Governor Milan pointed out that it is necessary for the US Fed to cut interest rates by more than 100 basis points this year. At the same time, he is very much looking forward to the performance of Kevin Warsh as Fed Chairman. However, Richmond Fed President Barkin emphasized that monetary policy must remain cautious until inflation fully pulls back to the target level, thereby ensuring the stability of the labour market.

All 11 Democratic members of the US Senate Banking Committee jointly sent a letter to the committee's chairman, Tim Scott, requesting that all nomination processes for the prospective Fed Chairman, Kevin Warsh, be postponed until the criminal investigation into current Fed Chairman Powell and other board members is concluded. However, Scott stated that Warsh's confirmation was a done deal.

The US Fed has announced that it will maintain the capital levels of large banks unchanged during the upcoming stress test cycle (corresponding to the 2026 cycle). At the same time, the US Fed is planning multidimensional reforms to this annual test, aiming to enhance its transparency. The US Fed's Vice Chair for Supervision, Bowman, revealed that adjustments to the stress capital buffer requirements for large banks will be postponed until 2027. This move is intended to provide the US Fed with sufficient time to evaluate potential flaws that may be exposed in its testing models when assessing banks' financial conditions under simulated economic downturn scenarios.

Toyota Motor has formulated a production increase plan, aiming to raise the production of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles to approximately 6.7 million units (expected to be achieved in 2028). This production target is 30% higher than the estimated 5 million units projected for 2026.

According to preliminary statistics from the Passenger Car Association, wholesale sales of passenger new energy vehicles in China are estimated to have reached 900,000 units in January, up 1% YoY. Among them, Tesla China performed strongly, with wholesale sales of 69,129 units, up 9.3% YoY.

Federal Reserve Governor Cook pointed out that bringing the inflation rate back to the target level in the near term is the top priority for the US Fed, which is crucial for maintaining its credibility. Cook also mentioned that the risk of a rise in inflation is currently prominent, and uncertainty in the economic outlook remains high.

The European Central Bank decided to maintain the current benchmark interest rate unchanged, marking the fifth consecutive pause in interest rate cuts since last June. Despite this, the bank has yet to provide clear guidance on the future path of monetary policy, further reinforcing market expectations that monetary policy will remain unchanged in the short term. Meanwhile, policymakers continue to monitor the appreciation of the euro, focusing on assessing its potential impact on the competitiveness of the export sector and inflation trends.

[SMM Nickel Flash] Based on nickel ore prices from 25 days ago, smelter profits for high-grade NPI remained high this week. However, from the current raw material side, ore prices from both the Philippines and Indonesia increased, while auxiliary material prices saw a slight pullback, leading to an increase in the cash cost of producing high-grade NPI from spot ore. At the same time, high-grade NPI prices experienced some pullback, making it difficult for smelter profits to see sustained improvement.

[SMM Nickel Flash] This week, due to a sharp decline in futures triggering arbitrage selling, high-grade NPI prices fell significantly. However, after the selling activity subsided, upstream quotations and the market center gradually returned to normal levels, supported by cost factors. Looking ahead, as the Chinese New Year holiday approaches, market activity is expected to remain subdued, and high-grade NPI prices are projected to hover at highs with limited fluctuations.

[SMM Nickel Flash] The SMM average price of 10-12% high-grade NPI fell 17.2 yuan/mtu WoW to 1,035.8 yuan/mtu (ex-factory, tax included), while the Indonesia NPI FOB index average price dropped 2.06 $/mtu WoW to 131.2 $/mtu. At the beginning of the week, futures hit limit-down, and nickel prices fell sharply WoW, driving the emergence of arbitrage supplies sold at low prices, leading to a significant decline in high-grade NPI prices.

[SMM Nickel Flash] February 6 - Supply side, market offers were basically flat, with the price center showing a slight increase. Demand side, there was no substantial procurement demand before the holiday, but transactions were difficult to conclude at low prices. Overall, high-grade NPI prices saw a slight rebound, and significant fluctuations are unlikely to continue before the holiday.

[SMM Nickel Flash] On February 6, the SMM average price for 10-12% high-grade NPI was 1,040 yuan/mtu (ex-factory, tax included), up 2.5 yuan/mtu MoM from the previous working day. The market sentiment factor for high-grade NPI was 2.06, down 0.04 MoM; the upstream sentiment factor for high-grade NPI was 2.84, down 0.07 MoM; and the downstream sentiment factor for high-grade NPI was 1.28, flat MoM.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Danantara officially began construction on a major aluminum smelter and alumina refinery (SGAR) in Mempawah, West Kalimantan, on February 6, 2026. The total investment is Rp 87.7 trillion. The project, managed by Inalum and Antam, will have a 1-million-ton annual capacity.