Commodity Price Rise & Fall Ranking Report
Metallurgical Industry
Compared with the previous trading day, metallurgical product prices saw mixed movements today. The market price of wear-resistant steel trended steadily higher. Spot prices remained well-supported by production costs, while steel mills actively held up quotations. However, restrained by the off-season demand cycle, downstream end-users only purchased rigid demand volumes, resulting in sluggish market transactions. Short-term wear-resistant steel prices are expected to stay firm with an upward bias.
Silicon steel prices stabilized overall. The market was clearly in its low-demand season; merchants maintained a wait-and-see stance, and downstream home appliance and motor manufacturers only restocked for immediate production needs with little willingness to build inventories, leading to muted actual trading. Steel mills also received limited inquiry orders. Overall, silicon steel prices are projected to hold steady in the near term.
Tool & die steel prices remained flat. Downstream demand stayed subdued, and recent rainfalls across the province hampered product shipments for traders, who adopted cautious sentiment with mediocre transaction volumes. Short-term tool & die steel prices are forecast to keep steady.
Non-Ferrous Metal Industry
Non-ferrous metal prices posted mixed gains and losses from the last trading session. Terbium oxide prices rose: low-priced spot goods became scarce in the market, pushing merchants to raise offers and lifting overall market sentiment. Current terbium oxide prices stand at 6.48–6.53 million yuan per ton. Metal terbium also climbed, tracking higher oxide quotations as metal producers adjusted their prices accordingly. Downstream magnetic material manufacturers bought only as needed, with metal terbium priced at 8.05–8.10 million yuan per ton.
Domestic battery-grade coarse granular lithium hydroxide traded between 133,000 and 144,000 yuan per ton, while fine powder lithium hydroxide was quoted at 142,000–147,000 yuan per ton. The average battery-grade price hit 141,500 yuan per ton, down 5,250 yuan or 3.58% day-on-day. Spot lithium hydroxide prices fell alongside a sharp drop in spot and futures lithium carbonate prices today; sellers offered discounted spot lithium hydroxide amid supply-demand tussles, dragging prices lower.
Petrochemical Industry
Petrochemical commodity prices rose and fell unevenly versus the prior trading day. The International Maritime Organization announced an attack on vessels in the Gulf of Oman and immediately suspended evacuation operations for oil tankers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. Heightened market fears over shipping risks through the strait halted the consecutive slump in international crude oil futures, which closed with a rebound.
Domestic rigid foam polyether spot prices moved lower. Propylene oxide quotations retreated visibly as raw material propylene sustained steep declines, leaving market participants broadly bearish and downstream buyers reluctant to place orders amid wait-and-see sentiment. Factory operating rates remained low, and buying activity stayed tepid. A minor rebound in raw material costs provided mild support to stop polyether prices from sliding further. Bearish sentiment weighed heavily on demand; some orders were placed at discounted prices over the holiday, an improvement from prior periods, yet rigid foam polyether prices continued to soften today. Prices are expected to swing within a narrow range in the short term, with traders closely tracking downstream purchasing activity.
Coal & Coal Derivatives Industry
Coal product prices recorded mixed performance day-on-day. Refined anthracene oil saw mild price adjustments, with mainstream quotations at 4,200–4,300 yuan per ton. Offers for anthracene oil held firm with bullish long-term expectations, yet downstream hydrogenation plants prioritized coal diesel and wash oil purchases, placing minimal orders for refined anthracene oil. Carbon black producers faced a mismatch: carbon black product prices rose far slower than raw material costs, leading to strong resistance to elevated anthracene oil prices. Only sporadic trades occurred, and overall market liquidity remained thin. Short-term refined anthracene oil prices are likely to edge down slightly.
Medium-temperature coal tar faced downward pressure. As of this morning, procurement prices for medium-temperature coal tar (≤1.05 density) from hydrogenation plants in Shaanxi fell to 2,700 yuan per ton. Earlier declines in crude oil dragged down general refined oil prices, which in turn pushed hydrogenated coal-to-oil product quotations lower. Bearish sentiment pervaded the oil product market, and downstream buyers intensified price haggling. Partial supply-demand support capped the downside range, and medium-temperature coal tar prices are estimated to consolidate at weak levels. Separately, a small batch of medium-temperature coal tar traded in Xinjiang last night at a reference price of 2,450 yuan per ton.
Other Commodity Sectors
Prices across other categories diverged from the previous trading day. Domestic soybean oil mainstream prices settled at 8,630 yuan per ton, rising 70 yuan or 0.82% day-on-day. The rebound in crude oil halted broad-based sell-offs; domestic oil futures shed downward pressure quickly and attracted renewed buying interest. Robust soybean oil export volumes eased domestic inventory burdens.
Average power-type lithium iron phosphate prices stood at 57,156 yuan per ton, a drop of 1,250 yuan or 2.14% from the previous day. Energy storage-grade lithium iron phosphate averaged 55,547 yuan per ton, also down 1,250 yuan or 2.20%. Repair-grade lithium iron phosphate held flat at 46,300 yuan per ton. Downstream battery manufacturers maintained strong purchasing demand; lithium iron phosphate producers held full order books with high production backlogs and persistently elevated capacity utilization rates. Falling lithium carbonate prices offset high lithium iron production costs, sparking fierce price negotiations between upstream and downstream players for new orders. Bullish and bearish market views diverged sharply, and further observation is required to track subsequent price trends and the formation of a balanced market equilibrium.