June 4 update:
Rare earth ore:
Today, rare earth carbonate was priced at 56,500-56,900 yuan/mt, monazite prices remained stable at 4.1-4.3 yuan/mt, and medium-yttrium, europium-rich ore was priced at approximately 230,000-232,000 yuan/mt. Currently, market circulation of rare earth ore remained poor, with low procurement volumes from separation plants, leading to sluggish market trading activity. Actual transaction prices of rare earth ore also remained relatively stable, with relatively small fluctuations.
Rare earth oxides:
Light rare earth side, lanthanum oxide prices saw no fluctuations this week, remaining stable at 5,200-5,800 yuan/mt. Cerium oxide market prices also continued to hold steady, stabilizing at 14,400-15,200 yuan/mt within the week. Driven by short covering, futures prices rose, slightly boosting downstream willingness to restock. Inquiry and procurement volumes for Pr-Nd oxide edged up compared to the previous period, and supplier quotes also rebounded slightly. As of today, Pr-Nd oxide prices fluctuated upward to 697,000-700,000 yuan/mt. Medium-heavy rare earth side, dysprosium oxide saw supplier quotes rise rapidly, driven by news-related factors combined with procurement by major manufacturers. This week, dysprosium oxide prices quickly rebounded to 1.32-1.34 million yuan/mt. The terbium oxide market also saw significant gains this week, with low-priced supplies tightening rapidly, and prices surging to 6.1-6.15 million yuan/mt within the week. Gadolinium oxide prices saw relatively small overall fluctuations this week, with a stagnant tug-of-war between upstream and downstream, and gadolinium oxide prices moved sideways at 202,000-205,000 yuan/mt. Holmium oxide prices edged up following the market, though actual market procurement activity fell short of expectations, with prices rising slightly to the 535,000-540,000 yuan/mt range within the week. Erbium oxide supplier quotes remained relatively stable, and as of today, erbium oxide prices held steady at the 430,000-440,000 yuan/mt range. Yttrium oxide market prices also continued to remain stable this week, holding at 58,000-60,000 yuan/mt.
Rare earth metals:
This week, cerium metal prices declined, adjusting to 33,000-34,000 yuan/mt. Pr-Nd alloy prices showed an overall upward trend this week, adjusting to 845,000-855,000 yuan/mt as of today. At the beginning of the week, driven by the rise in Pr-Nd oxide prices and increased downstream inquiry activity, metal enterprise quotes were raised. However, mid-week, as downstream procurement focus shifted, market inquiries turned sluggish, and inquiry prices were relatively low, leading to a slight price decline. Nevertheless, metal enterprise quotes remained relatively firm, with limited actual declines. Medium-heavy rare earth market side, dysprosium-iron alloy closed at 1.28-1.3 million yuan/mt, with prices rising notably this week, mainly supported by raw material costs and increased downstream inquiry and procurement activity. Low-priced market supplies tightened, and supplier quotes continued to rise. Terbium metal prices were raised to 7.55-7.6 million yuan/mt. Market inquiry activity picked up this week, and combined with continued raw material price increases, suppliers raised their quotations accordingly. However, follow-through on high-price transactions was insufficient, and downstream wait-and-see sentiment was relatively strong. Gadolinium-iron alloy prices edged up slightly this week, mainly driven by the rise in Pr-Nd product prices, coupled with raw material price increases. However, downstream purchasing attitudes remained relatively cautious, actual transaction performance was mediocre, and overall price gains were limited, currently stabilizing at 195,000-200,000 yuan/mt.
Rare Earth Permanent Magnets:
Currently, NdFeB blank N38 (Ce) closed at 213-223 yuan/kg; NdFeB blank 40M closed at 259~269 yuan/kg; NdFeB blank 40H closed at 263-273 yuan/kg; NdFeB blank 45SH (Ce) closed at 313~333 yuan/kg.
In terms of prices, NdFeB prices edged up slightly this week, primarily because raw material prices showed a clear upward trend this week, driving NdFeB magnetic material prices to continue rising. In terms of transactions, motor and end-user restocking willingness was relatively low this week, with only just-in-time procurement maintained. Large-volume stockpiling was difficult to advance in the short term, resulting in mediocre market transaction volumes.
Rare Earth Scrap:
This week, Pr-Nd recycled from NdFeB scrap closed at 720-730 yuan/kg; dysprosium recycled from NdFeB scrap closed at 1,220-1,240 yuan/kg; terbium recycled from NdFeB scrap closed at 5,500-5,700 yuan/kg.
This week, scrap market prices showed an overall upward trend, mainly influenced by the rise in oxide market prices. Driven by the increase in Pr-Nd oxide prices this week, recycling enterprises raised their scrap procurement quotations accordingly, and scrap suppliers showed increased willingness to sell. However, the issue of procurement costs resulting in losses for scrap still persisted, leading to a divergence in purchasing attitudes among recycling enterprises: top-tier players maintained relatively active purchasing attitudes, while small and medium-sized recycling enterprises adopted a more wait-and-see approach. Influenced by the rise in scrap prices, overall market transaction volumes showed a WoW increase. However, as the weekend approached, Pr-Nd oxide prices were generally in the doldrums, recycling enterprises' order signing procurement quotations remained relatively stable, and wait-and-see sentiment in the market was strong.
