This week, the ferrous metals series first rose and then fell, with an overall downward trend. At the beginning of the week, the China-US talks sent optimistic signals, improving market sentiment and driving up the futures market. However, mid-week, the fundamental factors of steel turned weak, coupled with fading sentiment, causing the futures market to decline. As the weekend approached, the US announced that it would impose a tariff hike on steel home appliances starting from the 23rd, leading to a significant drop in the futures market, except for coking coal and coke. In the spot market, the futures market rose in the first half of the week, leading to a phased improvement in market transactions. However, most transactions were driven by rigid demand for low-priced purchases, and seasonal characteristics began to emerge...

[SMM Daily Review: Market Transaction Prices Further Decline, Short-Term Nickel Pig Iron Prices May Be in the Doldrums] On June 13, the average price of SMM 8-12% high-grade NPI was 933.5 yuan/mtu (ex-factory, tax included), down 5.5 yuan/mtu from the previous working day...

[SMM Weekly Review: Weak Demand, Falling Costs, Chrome Market in the Doldrums] On June 13, 2025: Today, the ex-factory price of high-carbon ferrochrome in Inner Mongolia was 7,800-79,000 yuan/mt (50% metal content), unchanged MoM...

As of Friday this week, at northern ports: Australian lump ore was priced at 39.5-40.5 yuan/mtu, unchanged WoW from last Friday; Australian seed ore was priced at 35.8-36.8 yuan/mtu, unchanged WoW from last Friday; South African semi-carbonate ore was priced at 32.6-33.1 yuan/mtu, unchanged WoW from last Friday; Gabon ore was priced at 35.6-36.6 yuan/mtu, unchanged WoW from last Friday; South African high-iron ore was priced at 29.1-29.6 yuan/mtu, down 0.68% WoW from last Friday. At southern ports: Australian lump ore was priced at 39.3-40.3 yuan/mtu, unchanged WoW from last Friday; Australian seed ore was priced at 35.5-36 yuan/mtu, unchanged WoW from last Friday; South African semi-carbonate ore was priced at 33-33.5 yuan/mtu, unchanged WoW from last Friday; Gabon ore was priced at 37.6-38.1 yuan/mtu, down 1.30% WoW from last Friday; South African high-iron ore was priced at 28.3-28.8 yuan/mtu, unchanged WoW from last Friday. During the week, the inventory of manganese ore at ports decreased slowly, and inventory buildup continued. Miners' offers fluctuated relatively small. Some miners, affected by the sluggish market, temporarily held back from selling. Inquiries from downstream alloy plants were active, but actual transactions were relatively sluggish. The spot market for manganese ore was in the doldrums.

Philippine nickel ore prices remain high, forcing domestic enterprises to choose between purchasing at high prices or cutting production. Indonesian limonite ore prices strengthen again.

[SMM Analysis: Can Anode-Free Sodium-Ion Battery Cells Become a New Breakthrough for the Next Generation of Sodium-Ion Batteries?] SMM reported on June 13: At a time when the field of energy storage is constantly pursuing innovation and breakthroughs, anode-free sodium-ion battery cells, as an emerging technology, are gradually emerging and attracting widespread attention. With their unique design concepts and potential advantages, they offer new ideas for addressing the many issues faced by traditional batteries, but they also come with a series of challenges that need to be overcome urgently...