The continued downward pressure on nickel prices has not eased. [agency Review]

Published: Dec 15, 2021 11:00

On Tuesday, the contract price of Shanghai Nickel 2202 fell in shock in intraday trading and rebounded in the afternoon, but it weakened again in late trading and finally closed at 142690 yuan / ton. The trend of nickel in the night market fluctuated and fell, and the price of nickel in Shanghai followed.

On December 14, the spot price of nickel in Huatong was 144550-146650 yuan, with an average price of 145600 yuan / ton, down 250 yuan, while that in Guangdong was 146900-147300 yuan / ton, with an average price of 147100 yuan / ton, down 450 yuan.

Industry: the domestic base price of nickel mine in Indonesia rose 4.63% month-on-month in December 2021. NICL expects to achieve the production target of 70-90% nickel mine in 2021; Zhongwei Co., Ltd. plans to invest 1.44 billion yuan to build an annual output of no more than 120000 tons of high-nickel ternary precursors.

Yesterday (December 14), nickel prices fluctuated down, continuing the recent weak pattern, the current price has been close to the previous low, but there is still room for further decline.

The decline in nickel price is mainly due to the weakness of downstream stainless steel and the loss of 300 series stainless steel. Steel mills may increase their production reduction efforts from January to February next year, and the demand for raw materials will decline significantly.

At present, some Ferro-nickel factories still have sporadic December inventory unsold, and the suppliers of Ferro-Nickel are worried about the decrease in shipments in the later period and have a strong mentality of shipping. In addition, the formal commissioning of Aoyama high nickel matte in Indonesia has also made market expectations more pessimistic. As a result, nickel prices are driven downwards in the short term, and there is still room for prices to fall.

Operation suggestion: it is recommended to try to go short.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn
For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn
Related News
High-Grade NPI Smelter Profits Squeezed as Ore Prices Rise and Sales Prices Dip
15 hours ago
High-Grade NPI Smelter Profits Squeezed as Ore Prices Rise and Sales Prices Dip
Read More
High-Grade NPI Smelter Profits Squeezed as Ore Prices Rise and Sales Prices Dip
High-Grade NPI Smelter Profits Squeezed as Ore Prices Rise and Sales Prices Dip
[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.
15 hours ago
High-Grade NPI Prices Fall, Expected to Stabilize as Chinese New Year Approaches
15 hours ago
High-Grade NPI Prices Fall, Expected to Stabilize as Chinese New Year Approaches
Read More
High-Grade NPI Prices Fall, Expected to Stabilize as Chinese New Year Approaches
High-Grade NPI Prices Fall, Expected to Stabilize as Chinese New Year Approaches
[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.
15 hours ago
Nickel Prices Drop: SMM 10-12% High-Grade NPI Down 17.2 Yuan, Indonesia NPI FOB Index Falls 2.06 $/mtu
15 hours ago
Nickel Prices Drop: SMM 10-12% High-Grade NPI Down 17.2 Yuan, Indonesia NPI FOB Index Falls 2.06 $/mtu
Read More
Nickel Prices Drop: SMM 10-12% High-Grade NPI Down 17.2 Yuan, Indonesia NPI FOB Index Falls 2.06 $/mtu
Nickel Prices Drop: SMM 10-12% High-Grade NPI Down 17.2 Yuan, Indonesia NPI FOB Index Falls 2.06 $/mtu
[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.
15 hours ago