SMM, October 16:
Rare earth ore:
Prices:Rare earth chloride prices stood at approximately 63,500 yuan/mt, medium-yttrium, europium-rich ore at approximately 247,500 yuan/mt, and monazite at approximately 43,000 yuan/mt.
Supply and demand:The ore market remained in a stalemate, with average prices across all categories unchanged from the previous trading day. Separation plants maintained cautious purchase willingness, focusing mainly on drawing down existing inventory with limited new stockpiling activity. Miners continued to hold back from selling, and the price spread between buyers and sellers remained a point of divergence, with few actual transactions concluded.
Rare earth oxides:
Prices:Pr-Nd oxide quote centers continued to edge higher, with low-priced offers hard to find. Dysprosium oxide's decline paused for now, with prices stabilizing. Terbium oxide consolidated at low levels, with no further downward movement for the time being.
Supply and demand:Yesterday, after consecutive days of gains in Pr-Nd oxide prices, suppliers showed strong sentiment to hold prices firm and hold back from selling. Metal plants turned more conservative in purchasing high-priced raw materials, with inquiries focused mainly on rigid demand. In the dysprosium segment, wait-and-see sentiment persisted among both upstream and downstream players, leaving trading in a stalemate. In the terbium segment, the weak market atmosphere had yet to dissipate, with metal plants pushing for lower prices and transactions concentrated at the lower end of the range.
Rare earth metals:
Prices:Pr-Nd alloy quotes remained stable, stalling at highs with limited follow-through in transactions. Dysprosium-iron alloy quotes continued to consolidate. Terbium metal quotes stopped falling and stabilized.
Supply and demand:Yesterday, Pr-Nd alloy quotes held unchanged, with neither costs nor transactions providing new signals, as suppliers responded by holding prices steady. Overall inquiry activity remained weak, with downstream demand still rigid and limited actual transactions concluded. In the medium-heavy rare earth segment, the terbium market ended its multi-day decline, with both oxides and metals flat, easing pressure to lower prices for the time being. Dysprosium-iron alloy quotes showed no signs of loosening, with sparse trading.
NdFeB blanks:
Prices:NdFeB blank N40 (Ce) closed at 218-228 yuan/kg, NdFeB blank 40M closed at 259-269 yuan/kg, and NdFeB 40UH closed at 363-383 yuan/kg.
Supply and demand:Yesterday, NdFeB blank quotes showed no significant changes, mainly because raw material prices remained largely unchanged. In terms of trading, downstream motor plants have recently been focused on the monthly order cargo pick-up stage. At the same time, constrained by the broader economic environment, end-use consumption remained weak, and downstream and motor plants showed limited willingness to stockpile and restock, with no large-volume orders released yet.
NdFeB scrap:
Prices:Pr-Nd recycled from NdFeB scrap prices moved steadily, while dysprosium recycled from NdFeB scrap and terbium recycled from NdFeB scrap prices held stable.
Supply and demand:Yesterday, the scrap market continued to move steadily, mainly supported by oxide prices stabilizing at highs. Recycling enterprises made no notable adjustments to their external purchase quotes. Scrap suppliers showed increased willingness to sell, and scrap circulation improved compared with the previous period, with actual market trading activity showing improvement.
