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  [SMM Analysis] Nickel Ore Supply and Demand Watch: Philippine Ore Prices Face Downward Pressure, While Dual Tightening in Indonesian Policies and Approvals Pushes Up Local Ore Prices

• [SMM Analysis] Aluminum Wire and Cable Exports Exceeded 50,000 mt, January-February, Up 37% YoY!

  This week, the weekly operating rate of leading downstream aluminum processing enterprises in China rebounded 1.1 percentage points MoM to 64%.

• Ferrous Metals May Continue Trading at Elevated Levels in the Short Term [SMM Steel Industry Chain Weekly Report]

  This week, ferrous metals retreated after a rapid rise. At the beginning of the week, the market said that Asia had shifted to coal-fired power generation due to a natural gas supply deficit, while Indonesia would increase coal production and impose export taxes. The rise in international coal prices was transmitted to China, and coking coal and coke led the gains in ferrous metals; mid-week, the Middle East situation remained volatile, and the U.S. and Iran held differing attitudes toward war, with ferrous metals consolidating at high levels; the pullback in the second half of the week was also mainly due to the weakening of the cost-side logic, as market rumors said long-term iron ore contract negotiations had been completed, expectations for tightening iron ore supply declined, and raw materials turned into the main driver of the pullback. In the spot market, speculative trading and end-user purchase sentiment improved in the first half of the week, while rigid demand remained dominant in the second half, and the spot-futures price spread widened somewhat......

• [SMM Analysis] Domestic Weakness Meets Overseas Strength, Scrap Tungsten Drags on Sentiment

  This week, the tungsten market showed a divergent trend with mild corrections in domestic prices and a contrarian rise in overseas APT prices. Domestic tungsten concentrate and midstream product prices remained relatively firm, while scrap tungsten prices dropped sharply as profit-taking emerged. Supported by a tight supply-demand balance, overseas markets strengthened, further widening the price gap between domestic and international markets.

• Centralized Production Resumptions Conclude, Limiting Further Supply Increases from EAF Steel Mills

  As of March 24, the operating rate of 50 electric-furnace steel mills nationwide mainly producing construction materials was 40.42%, up 1.78% WoW from the previous period; the capacity utilization rate was 41.75%, up 1.88% WoW from the previous period; and daily average production of construction materials was 93,000 mt, up 4,200 mt WoW.