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On February 2nd, the 750-kilovolt power transmission and transformation project of the third passageway from northern Shaanxi to central Shaanxi was fully connected. The project starts from the 750-kilovolt Shuofang Substation in Shenmu City in the north and ends at the 750-kilovolt Bailuyuan Substation in Lantian County in the south. It has newly built a 1,271-kilometer line, passing through 18 counties (districts) in 4 cities including Yulin, Yan'an, Weinan and Xi'an.

[Tungsten Concentrate Tender Information] SMM February 7: A mine in Henan conducted an online tender on February 6 to sell 300 metric tons of low-grade tungsten concentrate. Lot A had an average WO3 grade of ≥25%, while Lots B and C had an average WO3 grade of ≥22%. The tender results for each lot are as follows: Lot A: 100 metric tons, tender price of 10,155 yuan/mtu. Lot B: 100 metric tons, tender price of 10,160 yuan/mtu. Lot C: 100 metric tons, tender price of 10,155 yuan/mtu.

[Ganzhou Tungsten Industry Association's February Tungsten Price Forecast] The Ganzhou Tungsten Industry Association's forecast prices for the tungsten market in February 2026 are as follows: 55% black tungsten concentrate at 670,000 yuan per metric ton unit, up 210,000 yuan per metric ton unit MoM from the January price, an increase of 45.65%; ammonium paratungstate at 970,000 yuan/mt, up 300,000 yuan/mt MoM, an increase of 44.78%; medium-grain tungsten powder at 1,630 yuan/kg, up 480 yuan/kg MoM, an increase of 41.74%.

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.

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.

The China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) predicts that China's new PV installations are expected to pull back in 2026, ranging between 180 GW and 240 GW. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the average annual new PV installations are projected to reach 238 GW to 287 GW. Wang Shijiang, Deputy Director of the Electronic Information Department at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), emphasized that the core task this year is to address the cut-throat competition in the PV industry.

US Fed Vice Chairman Jefferson expressed "cautious optimism" regarding the US economic outlook, suggesting that, driven by robust productivity growth, inflation is expected to pull back to the central bank's 2% target level. Additionally, Jefferson noted that the current policy stance is sufficient to effectively address economic developments.

According to big data from the commerce sector, as of February 5, a total of 335,000 subsidy applications had been received for the 2026 auto trade-in policy, effectively boosting new auto sales with a total value of 53.77 billion yuan. Further observation revealed that the average price of new cars involved in the trade-in activity in January exceeded the 160,000 yuan mark, showing a significant increase compared to the previous year.

[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.