Antimony price rally proves short-lived as market turns weak and starts to decline

SMM News, December 19:
This week, the antimony market prices have shown an overall downward trend, with the price of antimony ingots weakening significantly, driving down the prices of products such as antimony oxide. Many market participants indicate that the rapid and continuous price increases in the earlier period led to a surge in downstream stockpiling and purchasing interest, resulting in a noticeable increase in orders. However, precisely because the stockpiling volume was too large, coupled with the typical suspension of downstream procurement as the year-end approaches, recent terminal demand has declined rapidly. Along with a weakening speculative sentiment in the market, the rapidly rising antimony prices have been curbed and have begun to correct.

Market participants believe that the previous explosive speculative demand has also temporarily decreased for now. Nevertheless, due to ongoing rumors and news about market policies, many speculators remain actively attentive and continue to maintain a positive long-term outlook on antimony prices. Some market participants also argue that antimony ore supply remains tight, and antimony ingot inventories are also constrained. Especially as winter sets in, mines in the northern market have essentially ceased mining, ore dressing, and sales. The supply of antimony ore raw materials is bound to be tight in the coming period. From a supply perspective, short-term market supply is still foreseeable as overall tight. As of now, the SMM average prices are:

• 2# Low-Bismuth Antimony Ingot: 163,500 RMB/ton

• 1# Antimony Ingot: 165,500 RMB/ton

• 0# Antimony Ingot: 167,500 RMB/ton

• 2# High-Bismuth Antimony Ingot: 160,500 RMB/ton

The market prices for antimony trioxide (As₂O₃) this week, as of now, the SMM average prices are:

• 99.5%: 140,500 RMB/ton

• 99.8%: 149,500 RMB/ton