On October 25, 2024, SMM invited industry representatives to gather in Nanchang, Jiangxi, to participate in a seminar on the recycling and price trends of waste lead-acid batteries. Attendees shared numerous insights on industry pain points, particularly the challenges in recycling, pricing, compliance, and environmental protection policies.SMM compiled the following based on representative speeches and industry data……

The "September-October peak season," traditionally a peak season for copper rods, has shown weak consumption this year. The peak season is not as strong as expected, with new orders hard to sustain. This lack of significant consumption recovery is not only seen in the copper cathode rod industry but also in the secondary copper rod industry. Recently, the market has shown weakness in both copper cathode rods and secondary copper rods. What are the reasons behind this? Below is a detailed analysis of the recent market situation:

Northvolt announced cost-cutting measures, including layoffs and the de-prioritization of cathode materials and battery storage production. The company will focus on cell production and sell, suspend or terminate non-core business units. Key steps include halting the cathode production at the Northvolt Ett, terminating the Northvolt Fem project, seeking new investors for Northvolt Dwa in Poland and etc. SMM believe that

[SMM Analysis: August Copper Cathode Rod Operating Rate Exceeds Expectations, Will the Positive Trend Continue in September, the Traditional Peak Season?] According to the SMM survey, the operating rate of copper cathode rod producers was 74.62% in August, up 4.10% MoM and 4.16% YoY, exceeding the expected value by 1.90%. The operating rate for large enterprises was 82.64%, for medium-sized enterprises 62.08%, and for small enterprises 62.39%. (Surveyed enterprises: 61, capacity: 13.877 million mt)

SHANGHAI, Jul 4 (SMM) –Zinc and lead prices made gains overnight

Crude oil futures closed lower today. As of 15:04 CST today, WTI oil and Brent oil fell 0.37% and 0.32% respectively. As of 15:05 today, the U.S. dollar index rose 0.22%.

Stronger-than-expected economic data released last week, including new home sales in May, durable goods orders in May and the consumer confidence index in June in the US pointed to a strong US economy. Powell said at the ECB Forum on Central Banking last Wednesday that there may be several interest rate hikes in the future in the midst of strong economic data, and another aggressive interest rate hike to curb inflation is not ruled out.