1、 Trend analysis
According to the monitoring of nickel prices by Shengyi Society, nickel prices have fluctuated and fallen this week. As of the weekend, the spot nickel price was 135333.3 yuan/ton, a decrease of 0.23% from the beginning of the week and a year-on-year increase of 10.65%.
Nickel weekly fluctuation chart
According to the weekly chart of Shengyi Society, in the past 12 weeks, nickel prices have fallen 6 times and risen 5 times, with a recent weak decline in nickel prices.
Nickel industry chain
Macroscopically, the ADP employment figures in the United States increased by 62000 in March, higher than the market expectation of 40000 and roughly the same as last month’s 63000. Coal, originally scheduled to be implemented on April 1, 2026. The nickel export tariff plan is still awaiting the results of joint research between the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the Ministry of Finance.
On the supply side, China’s refined nickel production in March was 37337 tons, an increase of 14.53% month on month and 1.83% year-on-year. The estimated refined nickel production in China for April is 38830 tons, an increase of 4.00% month on month and 6.53% year-on-year
On the demand side: There has been no significant improvement on the demand side, with downstream demand maintaining a pace of rigid procurement, and overall spot transactions being sluggish. The overall demand for downstream electroplating is relatively stable, and it is difficult to see growth in the later stage; The consumption of alloys is gradually recovering, with good demand for alloys in military and shipping industries. The weak performance of stainless steel highlights the mentality of steel mills to suppress raw material prices; The high price of MHP provides support for the cost of nickel sulfate, but there is no significant increase in downstream ternary precursor orders, with nickel sulfate prices mainly fluctuating.
In summary, due to the impact of geopolitical conflicts, the shipping costs of nickel mines in the Philippines have significantly increased, and the bidding prices for Philippine mines have continued to rise. The supply pressure of refined nickel remains unchanged, and the expected production of Indonesia’s wet smelting project in April has recovered, indicating sufficient market resources. The price of high nickel pig iron is stable but slightly strong, with some low-priced shipments on the trading side, but the high cost of iron mills provides a bottom line for the price. The short-term shutdown of wet process plants in Indonesia reduces short-term supply, and the high price of MHP supports the cost of nickel sulfate. The weak downstream demand for ternary materials drives the fluctuation of nickel sulfate prices. The performance of domestic and foreign markets is differentiated, with mild destocking overseas and continued stockpiling domestically, while domestic exports continue to be hindered. Overall, macro expectations are still fluctuating, and market concerns about raw materials have weakened. However, Indonesia’s policy attitude has not changed significantly, and cost support still exists. The combination of actual supply pressure and insufficient inventory digestion constraints is expected to maintain a range of fluctuations in nickel prices.
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