Northern rare earths: the price of praseodymium and neodymium products fell by more than 5% in may

[SMM Rare Earth Daily Review: Rare earth market prices in the doldrums, downstream remains on the sidelines] Overall, today's decline narrowed significantly from yesterday. Pr-Nd oxides were the first to stop falling, while metals only eased slightly. Terbium, dysprosium, gadolinium, and other varieties that had fallen sharply earlier moved into consolidation. Trading activity showed no clear recovery, with buyers and sellers still locked in a standoff at low levels. Actual transaction centers edged lower, and the market was dominated by sporadic restocking and delivery of previous orders. In the short term, whether Pr-Nd prices can stabilize and rebound hinges on whether magnetic material enterprises can convert pre-holiday restocking inquiries into actual orders. If orders remain elusive, Pr-Nd product prices may consolidate on a subdued note within a narrow range.

[Pr-Nd oxide extends afternoon decline, terbium oxide leads losses, metals follow lower with sluggish trading] Yesterday, Pr-Nd alloy continued to edge lower in the afternoon, tracking raw material prices, but downstream inquiries showed no significant increase. Actual negotiations remained centered on low-priced cargoes, with transactions dominated by small rigid-demand orders and overall trading activity subdued. In the medium-heavy rare earth segment, terbium metal declined notably, with high-priced deals continuing to face resistance and suppliers increasingly offering discounts to move shipments. Dysprosium-iron alloy quotes held steady amid sluggish inquiries.

South Korea’s Ministry of Trade and Industry announced on September 17 that 9 government-level industrial and supply-chain cooperation documents had been signed with five Central Asian countries during meetings held from September 14 to 16. It was the first time in 34 years of diplomatic relations that South Korea and all five countries jointly discussed industrial cooperation and critical-mineral supply chains, including lithium and rare earths. The documents comprise one multilateral industrial and supply-chain cooperation MOU and eight bilateral agreements. South Korea and Uzbekistan agreed to establish a full-cycle cooperation platform covering critical-mineral exploration and processing. The private sector signed 116 MOUs: 78 involving Kazakhstan, 5 Uzbekistan, 14 Turkmenistan and 19 at the Korea–Central Asia Business Summit.