Environmental Protection Inspections Overlap with Enterprise Holidays, Die-Casting Zinc Alloy Operating Rates Decline [SMM Die-Casting Zinc Alloy Weekly Review]

       This week, the operating rate for die-casting zinc alloy was recorded at 51.73%, down 1.07 percentage points WoW. Inventory side, the center of zinc prices moved up, coupled with some enterprises planning for the New Year's Day holiday and reduced procurement during the week, leading to a decline in raw material inventory. Finished product inventories side, affected by zinc prices, the pace of enterprise shipments slowed down this week, resulting in a slight increase in finished product inventories. The decline in die-casting zinc alloy operating rates this week was partly due to the New Year's Day holiday at some enterprises during the week, leading to a drop in production, while some die-casting zinc alloy enterprises were affected by environmental protection inspections at the end of last week, causing production halts. Multiple factors contributed to the decline in operating rates this week. Order side, demand for small hardware items such as luggage zippers failed to show further improvement recently, but enterprises still hold expectations for subsequent demand. Additionally, overall demand for real estate hardware orders remained mediocre. Looking ahead to next week, some die-casting zinc alloy enterprises are expected to remain on holiday, so the die-casting zinc alloy operating rate is projected to fluctuate around 51.08%.