Silicon price rally boosted China's exports in Aug

SHANGHAI, Oct 17 (SMM) – China's exports of silicon metal rose from a month ago in August, as rebounded silicon prices bolstered restocking by overseas buyers and as expectations about prices bottoming out drove traders to step up delivery. 

Customs data showed that China exported some 60,000 mt of silicon metal in August, up 9.2% from July after two consecutive months of decline. 

On a year-over-year basis, however, exports remained 26.2% lower as subdued overseas demand affected operation across major foreign downstream producers compared with a year ago. This resulted in slow depletion in raw materials stockpiles, delayed purchases, and intensified price competition. 

China’s silicon metal exports in the first eight months of the year were 18.8% lower than the same period last year, and stood at 474,000 mt, according to customs data.