China March Pr-Nd oxide output and April forecast

China’s Pr-Nd oxide production in March was up by 0.56% MoM at 5,944 mt, with the growth mostly contributed by Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi and other regions.

Affected by migrant workers returning home for the CNY holidays, operating rate of the separation plants dropped in February. Production resumed to normal in March, boosting the output in various regions.

The rare earth market were relatively active. As miners were reluctant to sell and the inventory of downstream magnetic material companies almost bottomed out, price increase, traders' speculation and concentrated purchases by downstream companies led to a significant increase in Pr-Nd oxide prices around the Qingming Festival. There has been a significant reduction in rare earth metal ore imports from the US, and the output in Sichuan may significant drop in April.