Rare Earths - China (scroll down for Rare Earths prices)

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Chinese Rare Earths: The Giant is in Control, Near and Long term

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Chinese Rare Earths: A Boon for Rest of the World Production

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THIS MONTH

China rare earth exports shrink for 2 months

SHANGHAI, Oct 14 (SMM) – China’s exports of rare earths fell in September for a second straight month, declining 17.9% from 4,352 mt in August to 3,571 mt, showed data from the General Administration of Customs on Monday October 14.

For the first nine months of 2019, rare earths exports amounted to 36,398 mt, down 9% from the same period a year earlier.

LAST MONTH 

2019 China Rare Earth Forum: Tighter supply, demand recovery to bolster rare earth prices in Sep-Dec 

SHENZHEN, Sep 23 (SMM) – Prices of rare-earth products are likely to climb in the remainder of this year, in anticipation of stockpiling for strategic reserves by Beijing as well as tighter supplies and demand improvement, said Li Ziyan, senior rare earth analyst at SMM. The price growth is expected to be steady, Li told delegates at the 2019 forum on the development of China’s rare earth and permanent magnet industry held by SMM in Shenzhen on Monday September 23, as market participants will be more rational after sharp price gains in the first half of 2019. A fall in ore supply from Myanmar following a ban on imports that took effect in May will help lift prices of medium and heavy rare earths, as mixed rare earth carbonate is the feedstock for producing medium and heavy rare-earth oxides. Customs data showed that mixed rare earth carbonate accounted for 73.77% of China’s rare earth imports in June-July, compared with a ratio of 92.32% in January-May. For light rare-earth oxides, supply will tighten as a slew of smelting and separation plants have been required to suspend after excessive production in the first half of the year. Li also said that the role as a strategic resource, Chinese government’s crackdown on the black market and protracted trade conflict with Washington will remain supportive of rare earth prices. SMM assessed prices of praseodymium-neodymium oxide at 322,500 yuan/mt as of Monday September 23, and prices of neodymium oxide at 324,500 yuan/mt. Prices of dysprosium oxide stood at 1.89 million yuan/mt as of September 23, with those of terbium oxide at 3.9 million yuan/mt, showed SMM assessments.

China Minmetals buys antimony, rare earth stocks of Fanya exchange for 780 million yuan

SHANGHAI, Sep 2 (SMM) – The rare earths unit of state-owned China Minmetals on Sunday September 1 paid about 780 million yuan for antimony, dysprosium and terbium oxides inventories formerly held by the now-defunct Fanya Metal Exchange in online auctions. China Minmetals Rare Earth, as the sole bidder, bought three lots of the minor metal, rare-earth oxides for starting prices set by the Kunming Intermediate People’s Court, according to the e-commerce site that hosted the 24-hour auctions. The prices are far below current market value. The auction of about 18,661 mt of antimony was purchased at 29,300 yuan/mt, while the company secured the lots of 148.75 mt of dysprosium oxide at 1.49 million yuan/mt and 4.05 mt of terbium oxide at 3.16 million yuan/mt. SMM assessments showed that the spot price of 1# antimony stood at 36,500 yuan/mt as of Monday September 2, with that for dysprosium oxide at 1.91 million yuan/mt and that for terbium oxide 3.925 million yuan/mt.  

PREVIOUS

China to slash resource tax on rare earth from Sep 2020 

SHANGHAI, Aug 29 (SMM) – Medium, heavy rare earth miners in China will pay less in resource tax from September 1 next year, when the country’s new resource tax law is scheduled to go into effect.

The new tax rate comes in at 20% for processed medium and heavy rare-earth ore, down from the current 27%. For light rare earth, the rates would be 7-12%, while now are 11.5% in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 9.5% in Sichuan Province, and 7.5% in Shandong. China's top legislature on August 26 voted to adopt the new resource tax law at the closing meeting of a five-day bimonthly session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

China announces 20 measures to boost consumption 

SHANGHAI, Aug 28 (SMM) – China's central government has stepped up efforts to boost domestic demand and support the economy as it announced on Tuesday August 27 a slew of stimulus measures targeting the car, electronic markets, e-commerce, as well as infrastructure projects.  According to the Opinions on Accelerating Circulation and Promoting Commercial Consumption that outlined 20 measures, local government should relax of lift restrictions on car purchases and encourage people to buy new energy vehicles. Efforts should also be made to promote the recycling of used electronic products, support the transition of traditional department stores into commercial complexes, and improve infrastructure of commercial streets, the guideline said.

Northern rare earths: the prices of praseodymium, neodymium and neodymium announced in August have been reduced.

SHANGHAI, Aug 12 (SMM) - Northern China rare Earth (Group) High Technology Co., Ltd. released the listing price of rare earth products in August, lanthanum oxide and ceria prices are relatively stable, maintained at 13000 yuan / ton. The prices of praseodymium neodymium oxide, praseodymium neodymium oxide and neodymium oxide were significantly lower than those in July. The prices of praseodymium neodymium oxide and neodymium oxide were reduced by 5.5% and 5.6%, respectively, and the prices of praseodymium neodymium and neodymium metal were reduced by 6.7%.

Rare earth prices rally on potential commercial stockpiling 

SHANGHAI, Aug 5 (SMM) – Prices of spot, mainstream rare-earth products rallied last week, as expectations that Beijing will begin stockpiling for strategic reserves grew after a meeting in the prior week. Prices of praseodymium-neodymium oxide rose from 287,000-292,000 yuan/mt on July 26 to 293,000-298,000 yuan/mt as of Friday August 2, with those of neodymium oxide climbing to 295,000-300,000 yuan/mt, showed SMM assessments. Prices of dysprosium oxide advanced to 1.89-1.92 million yuan/mt, while those of terbium oxide increased to 3.93-3.95 million yuan/mt. Prices of gadolinium oxide rose to 165,000-170,000 yuan/mt. The re-escalation of the trade tensions between the US and China also gave a boost to the sector. Rare earth-related stocks rose sharply on Friday, and rare earth spot sellers hiked their offers after a surprise tariff threat from US President Donald Trump. Some traders expected further upside in prices of medium, heavy rare-earth products, and dysprosium oxide to rebound to around 2 million yuan/mt in the short term. Most magnet producers, major consumers of rare-earth products, continued their on-demand procurement as a low season grinds on. Data from China Customs showed that a total of 661 mt of mixed rare-earth carbonate were imported to China in June, down 75.9% year on year. Malaysia and Indonesia were the major exporters, while no Myanmar materials entered China. Domestic production of rare-earth carbonate, meanwhile, remained low as the crackdown on the black market continued. Raw materials supplies for medium, heavy rare-earth products are expected to remain tight in the long term, which will buoy prices.

China rare earths exports rise for 2nd month in Jul

SHANGHAI, Aug 8 (SMM) – China’s exports of rare earths rose for a second straight month in July, expanding 32.2% from June to 5,243.4 mt, showed data from China Customs released on August 8. This brought exports in the first seven months of the year to 28,475.6 mt, with a year-over-year decline of 7.3%.  

China’s NEV production sees 1st year-on-year decline in Jul 

SHANGHAI, Aug 7 (SMM) – About 73,500 new energy vehicles obtained qualification certificates in China in July, showed SMM data. This was down 43% from a month ago and 18.3% from a year ago, marking the first year-over-year decline since the NEV sector emerged a few years ago. Installed power battery capacity also shrank last month, declining 29% month on month and 26.9% year on year to 4.69GWh. After a rapid expansion in the first half of the year, China’s NEV sector hit a trough in July, which is the first full month since the new NEV subsidy scheme and vehicle emission standards took effect.   The shift to the new emission standards prompted a rush to clear existing inventories of diesel and gasoline-powered vehicles and slowed overall automobile production. Production of electric passenger vehicles dropped 55.8% month on month to 43,300 units in July, while that of electric buses more than doubled to 12,800 units. Lower subsidies and cash flow pressure, meanwhile, drove NEV makers to prioritize cost concerns, and favor lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. Installed LFP batteries came in at 2.48GWh last month, taking up 52.9% of the total. The ratio climbed 27 percentage points from June, and exceeded that for ternary batteries for the first time this year. There was a brief supply shortage of LFP batteries, while excessive capacity dragged on prices of ternary batteries close to those of LFP batteries. Aside from costs, higher security also helped LFP batteries to outperform ternary ones. Some automakers are expected to launch new models in August, while the vehicle production and battery installation rush is set to revive at the end of the year as the government subsidies will be completely withdrawn in 2020. The NEV and battery markets are expected to pick up at the end of September, as some producers are still clearing inventories in August. In July, Chinese battery maker CATL remained the largest battery supplier, with a market share of 66.5% in terms of battery installation. It’s worth nothing that batteries produced by South Korea’s LG’s plant in Nanjing were installed in Dongfeng Renault’s electric passenger vehicles for trial run last month, suggesting the start of the competition among global battery suppliers.  

Rare Earths market is in a strong wait-and-see mood, only the terbium price is down.

SHANGHAI, 29 Jul (SMM) - Today, the rare earth market quotation is relatively stable, some large factory quotations remain strong, and the willingness to ship at a low price is low. Last week, there was good news that some businesses had bought dysprosium oxide, leading to the depletion of low-cost dysprosium oxide in the market, and most market participants are looking forward to closing stocks in the future to boost the prices of rare earth products, and the rare earth market is in a more wait-and-see mood. Today, only terbium oxide and metal terbium prices have been reduced to 388-3.9 million yuan / ton and 507-5.13 million yuan / ton, the prices of other rare earth products have remained stable.

Prices of rare earths drop in low consumption season

SHANGHAI, Jul 29 (SMM) – Prices of rare earths dropped last week, as poor purchasing interest among downstream consumers in a low season prompted sellers to lower their quotes. SMM assessments showed that prices of praseodymium-neodymium oxide fell from 300,000-305,000 yuan/mt July 19 to 287,000-292,000 yuan/mt as of Friday July 26. Prices of neodymium oxide slipped to 289,000-294,000 yuan/mt, with those of praseodymium oxide down to 385,000-395,000 yuan/mt. Downstream consumers, producers of magnets, held back from purchasing rare-earth products of late as a seasonal lull grinds on. This drove traders to lower their offers to offload cargoes. Quotes from large producers also eased, with prices of dysprosium oxide falling from 1.9-1.92 million yuan/mt to 1.83-1.85 million yuan as of July 26 and those of terbium oxide sliding from 4-4.02 million yuan/mt to 3.92-3.95 million yuan/mt. Prices of gadolinium oxide dropped to 160,000-165,000 yuan/mt, with those for erbium oxide and holmium oxide down to 180,000-185,000 yuan/mt and 380,000-390,000 yuan/mt, respectively. Rare-earth products are unlikely to pick up in the short run, as a low consumption season lingers, but prices of medium, heavy rare earths are likely to climb in the longer term. 

[SMM rare Earth Daily Review 07.26] dysprosium oxide prices rose slightly and some merchants held goods and sold them.

SHANGHAI Jul 26 (SMM) - Today, the prices of most rare earth products are stable, praseodymium and neodymium oxide are stable at 28.7-292000 yuan / ton, and terbium oxide quotations are stable at 392-3.95 million yuan / ton. The price of dysprosium oxide rebounded slightly to 183-1.85 million yuan per ton, mainly due to the near depletion of dysprosium oxide in the rare earth market on Thursday afternoon, the expectation of good news in the market, and most businesses holding goods on the sidelines, waiting for the news to stimulate the price of rare earth products to rise. The offer for gadolinium oxide maintained a downward trend, falling to 16-165000 yuan per ton.

In the near future, we can pay attention to whether there is good news, rare earth prices weak operation of the pattern if there is no good news boost, short-term price rise is unlikely. In the long run, the price of praseodymium and neodymium oxide is weak due to the relationship between supply and demand, and medium and heavy rare earths can still be expected in the future due to the shortage of raw materials.

[SMM Analysis] waiting for the news surface to boost the future of medium and heavy rare earths

SHANGHAI Jul 26 (SMM) -  This week, the prices of most rare earth products have dropped noticeably. This week, the prices of praseodymium and neodymium oxide decreased from 30-305000 yuan / ton to 28.7-292000 yuan / ton, neodymium oxide followed down to 28.9-294000 yuan / ton, praseodymium oxide to 38.5-395000 yuan / ton, dysprosium oxide from 190-1.92 million yuan / ton to 183-1.85 million yuan / ton, and terbium oxide from 400-4.02 million yuan / ton to 392-3.95 million yuan / ton. Gadolinium oxide fell to 16-165000 yuan / ton, erbium oxide and holmium oxide prices also decreased to 18-185000 yuan / ton and 38-390000 yuan / ton, respectively. Recently, as the downstream magnetic material factory into the off-season buying weak, some traders are pessimistic and positive low price shipment, the market has a long-term low-priced supply. Affected by the market price, the recent quotation of large plants is weak, dysprosium oxide, terbium oxide and other heavy rare earth products have also followed suit. The price of dysprosium oxide rebounded on Friday, mainly because the low price of dysprosium oxide in the rare earth market was almost exhausted on Thursday afternoon, and most businesses waited for the good news to boost the price of rare earth products. Overall, the rare earth market remained weak this week. If the pattern of weak price operation of rare earth products is not boosted by news, the possibility of a rise in short-term prices is unlikely. In the long run, if there is no news stimulation, the price of praseodymium and neodymium oxide is weak due to the relationship between supply and demand; dysprosium, terbium and other medium and heavy rare earths can be expected in the future. 

China Southern Rare Earth leaves prices of rare-earth oxides unchanged

SHANGHAI, Jul 24 (SMM) – China Southern Rare Earth Group, one of the six, state-owned rare earth mining groups in China, this week did not change its listed prices for most rare-earth oxides, according to a notice on the company's website on Tuesday July 23. The producer’s quotes for its rare-earth oxide products, except for gadolinium oxide, all remained unchanged from a week ago, with the price for terbium oxide staying at 4.1 million yuan/mt for a fourth straight week. The price for dysprosium oxide also remained unchanged at 2 million yuan/mt for four weeks in a row, while that for gadolinium oxide fell 2,000 yuan/mt from last week to 170,000 yuan/mt. Quote for samarium oxide stood at 12,000 yuan/mt, with that for europium oxide at 295,000 yuan/mt. Listed prices stood at 390,000 yuan/mt for holmium oxide, 195,000 yuan/mt for erbium oxide, 110,000 yuan/mt for ytterbium oxide, 4.3 million yuan/mt for lutetium oxide, 22,000 yuan/mt for yttrium oxide and 9 million yuan/mt for scandium oxide.   

Baotou Huaxi Metals to start rare earth project in Sichuan

SHANGHAI, Jul 23 (SMM) – Rare earth mining company Baotou Huaxi Metals in Inner Mongolia will construct a rare earth metal and permanent magnet project in Liangshan autonomous prefecture of Sichuan province, as the firm signed with the Liangshan government on June 26. With an investment of 1.5 billion yuan, the project is designed with a capacity of 10,000 mt/year of rare earth metals and 17,000 mt/year of permanent magnet materials. 

Poor demand weakens prices

SHANGHAI, Jul 22 (SMM) – Poor demand lowered spot prices of certain rare-earth products last week. SMM assessments showed that prices of praseodymium-neodymium oxide stood at 300,000-305,000 yuan/mt as of Friday July 19, down from 320,000-325,000 yuan/mt a week ago, as anemic demand prompted small producers and traders to reduce their quotes to offload cargoes. Prices of neodymium oxide declined to 302,000-307,000 yuan/mt. Meanwhile, large producers lowered offers for praseodymium oxide, with SMM assessed prices dropping from 400,000-410,000 yuan/mt to 390,000-400,000 yuan/mt. As of July 19, prices of erbium oxide eased to 185,000-190,000 yuan/mt, while those of holmium oxide weakened to 385,000-395,000 yuan/mt, after China Southern Rare Earth Group lowered its listed prices earlier in the week. Demand for light rare earths is unlikely to pick up in the short run, as downstream consumers, magnet producers, stood on the sidelines in a low season. This is likely to keep prices weak. China Southern Rare Earth Group did not lower its listed prices for dysprosium oxide and terbium oxide last week. Prices of medium, heavy rare earths are expected to remain weak and stable in the short term, and will likely climb after demand recovers.

China Nonferrous signs African rare Earth Framework Agreement

SHANGAI, Jul 22 (SMM) - A few days ago, China Nonferrous Metals Construction Co., Ltd. issued an announcement, which has signed a framework agreement with Singapore's ISR Capital Company, and the two sides have formulated preliminary principles for cooperation in Madagascar's Tantalus rare earth project, which has broadened and accelerated China's vision and pace of carrying out overseas rare earth projects. In accordance with the Memorandum of understanding signed, the topics of the negotiations between the Company and ISR Capital on cooperation in rare earth projects include: Within three years after the successful commissioning of the rare earth project, the company has the option to purchase 3000 tons of rare earth project products (the product quality should be in line with Chinese market standards and confirmed by an independent testing body jointly appointed by both parties); the company has priority as a contractor to provide EPC services for the project; the company will have the opportunity to make equity investment in the rare earth project in the future. According to information submitted by ISR Capital to the Singapore Stock Exchange in 2017, the Tantalus tantalum project is located about 500km north of Antanarivo (Antananarivo), the capital of the African island state. The rare earth clay ore is similar to the ionic rare earth ore in China, with a rare earth oxide content of about 562000 tons.    

Rare earth plate makes a comeback, institutions are optimistic that the market will continue.

SMM News: July 18, the A-share market main indexes have fallen, and rare earth concept plate against the trend strong, stocks rose. Rare earth index and rare earth permanent magnet index rose in the Wind144 concept plate index first and third. It is worth noting that the recent sector stocks not only have policy catalysis, but also import contraction costs to raise the price of rare earths to boost. Agencies have said that the comprehensive mood and policy expectations escort, rare earth concept plate market is expected to continue…On July 18, the rare earth plate index rose 1.81%, up 41.72% so far this year, and the index's five stocks closed higher. On the news surface, according to the official website of the China rare Earth Industry Association, at the beginning of this month, Yang Wenhao, secretary general of the China rare Earth Industry Association, visited and investigated many rare earth production and application enterprises, such as Baotou Haoming rare Earth New Power Technology Co., Ltd., Northern rare Earth smelting Branch, Baotou rare Earth Research Institute, and solicited opinions and suggestions from rare earth enterprises on industry policy and the work of rare earth associations. In addition, according to the website of the Jiangxi Provincial people's Government, the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology and the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Inner Mongolia Autonomous region held a forum in Nanchang a few days ago on the joint establishment of a national innovation center for rare earth functional materials. The two sides reached a consensus on the joint establishment and application of the National rare Earth functional material Innovation Center, and clearly defined the key tasks for the next phase. Industry insiders said that the government is paying more and more attention to the rare earth industry, and it is expected that policy support will continue to increase. In addition, due to the obstruction of Myanmar's imports and the rapid growth of new energy vehicles to expand demand, the domestic rare earth market prices continue to strengthen, which is believed to provide strong support for the performance of relevant companies in the third quarter, and the expectations of the results will also be directly reflected in the recent stock price movements….The concept of rare earth has gone against the trend and attracted the attention of the mechanism. In the current market wait-and-see sentiment strong concussion market, institutions generally expect that the plate is expected to continue to rise, the relevant stocks in a variety of factors, out of the independent market, it is worth choosing the opportunity layout….Changjiang Securities said that in the first half of 2019, Myanmar's heavy rare earth imports were blocked, and the growth of new energy vehicles drove demand for high-end magnetic materials and other factors resonance, resulting in a significant improvement in the prosperity of the rare earth magnetic plate. The domestic light rare earth market price may maintain the upward trend, because the rare earth belongs to the small metal variety, mainly by the inquiry order and the quotation way transaction, this kind of transaction mechanism determines the price has certain elasticity under the catalysis of short-term import and export policy and other factors. It is believed that the performance of rare earth enterprises is expected to increase significantly, and the performance of companies dominated by heavy rare earths is expected to perform better. 

China Southern Rare Earth cuts prices of medium, heavy rare earth oxides 

SHANGHAI, Jul 16 (SMM) – China Southern Rare Earth Group, one of the six, state-owned rare earth mining groups in China, lowered listed prices for certain types of medium and heavy rare earth oxides, but kept prices of the mainstream dysprosium oxide and terbium oxide unchanged on the week, the company said on its website on Monday July 15.  The cuts lowered the quotes of gadolinium oxide to 172,000 yuan/mt, down 3,000 yuan/mt from the previous price released on July 9.  Quotes of holmic oxide slid 10,000 yuan/mt to stand at 390,000 yuan/mt, and prices of lutetium oxide shrank 50,000 yuan/mt, to 4.3 million yuan/mt.  Listed prices for dysprosium oxide and terbium oxide remained unchanged at 2 million yuan/mt and 4.1 million yuan/mt. SMM assessment showed that spot prices of some light rare earth oxides also eased, as prices of praseodymium oxide fell 10,000 yuan/mt from Monday July 15, to stand at 390,000 400,000 yuan/mt as of Tuesday July 16, and prices of praseodymium metal lost 10,000 yuan/mt from Monday, to 690,000-710,000 yuan/mt.  

China rare earths exports rebound in Jun as prices grow slower

SHANGHAI, Jul 15 (SMM) – China’s exports of rare earths rebounded in June, expanding 9% from May to 3,966.4 mt, showed data from China Customs released on Friday July 12. Chinese rare earth producers recovered exports last month, as prices grew slower after rapid increases in May. Exports of rare earths in January-June amounted to 23,232.2 mt, down 11.3% from the same period last year, as the trade dispute with the US took its toll.

Jiangxi, Inner Mongolia to jointly establish rare earth innovation center

SHANGHAI, Jul 12 (SMM) – East China’s Jiangxi province and North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region will jointly establish a rare earth innovation center. At a meeting in Nanchang of Jiangxi on June 27, the two regions agreed to jointly apply for the establishment of a national rare earth innovation center, and outlined plans for the project, according to the report on Jiangxi government’s official website. This came after a rare earth base was established in Hebei earlier in June.

China Northern Rare Earth keeps Jul listed prices of light rare earth unchanged

SHANGHAI, Jul 12 (SMM) – State-owned mining company China Northern Rare Earth (Group) held the July listed prices for all its light rare earth products unchanged from the previous month, after it hiked quotes on ore supply concerns in June, the company said on its website on Friday July 12. SMM expects the move to rally market confidence and underpin prices of light rare earth oxides such as praseodymium-neodymium oxide, after offers slid amid sluggish trades from late-June.  Spot prices of praseodymium-neodymium oxide stood at 320,000-325,000 yuan/mt as of Friday July 12, down 15,000 yuan/mt from a week ago and down 55,000 yuan/mt from a high on June 19, SMM assessed.  Separately, China Southern Rare Earth Group also set the listed prices for medium and heavy rare earth oxides, except for gadolinium oxide, unchanged on the week as of Wednesday July 10.  Most market participants remained bullish about prices of medium and heavy rare earth oxides, and this kept producers from offloading cargoes.  China Northern Rare Earth and China Southern Rare Earth are two of the six state-owned mining groups that dominate China’s rare earth industry.     

Auto charging piles in China amount to 1 million units by Jun 

SHANGHAI, Jul 11 (SMM) – By the end of June, China had over 1 million charging piles, or power ports, for electric vehicles, up 69.3% from a year ago, according to a report by the China Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Promotion Alliance released on Wednesday July 10. For public charging piles, members of the alliance added 10,926 units last month, sending the total number to 412,000 units, with a year-over-year increase of 51.5%. Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Shandong, Zhejiang, Hebei, Anhui, Tianjin and Hubei are the top 10 regions that have the most public charging infrastructure facilities, accounting for 75.3% of the nationwide total.

China Southern Rare Earth holds prices of rare earth oxides mostly stable

SHANGHAI, Jul 10 (SMM) – China Southern Rare Earth Group, one of the six, state-owned rare earth mining groups in China, held the listed prices for most medium and heavy rare earth oxides unchanged from the previous quots a week ago, according to a notice on the company's website on Tuesday July 9. The quote for medium and heavy rare earth oxides, except for gadolinium oxide, all stood flat on the week as the price for dysprosium oxide stood at 2 million yuan/mt, and that for terbium oxide at 4.1 million yuan/mt.  Listed price for gadolinium oxide lost 10,000 yuan/mt from the previous week and came in at 175,000 yuan/mt. SMM assessment showed that spot prices of several rare earth oxides slipped last week, as the market awaited the release of Baotou Steel’s listed prices and the meeting in Ganzhou. However, most market participants remained optimistic about prices of medium and heavy rare earth oxides, and this kept producers from offloading cargoes. Producers of light rare earth oxides lowered offers but failed to boost downstream purchases.  

China NEV sales expand 66% in H1

SHANGHAI, Jul 9 (SMM) – China’s new energy vehicle sales maintained their growth in June, with wholesale volume up 38.7% from a month ago and 98.7% from a year ago to stand at 134,000 units, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) said on Monday July 8. This brought sales of new energy sedans, sport utility vehicles and multipurpose vehicles in January-June to 577,000 units, with a year-over-year increase of 65.9%. Data from the CPCA also showed that China's retail sales of passenger vehicles in June registered the first year-over-year increase in 13 months.

Rare earth prices fall ahead of Baotou Steel prices, Ganzhou meeting

SHANGHAI, Jul 8 (SMM) – Prices of several rare-earth oxides across Chinese markets slipped last week, as the market awaited the release of Baotou Steel’s listed prices and the meeting in Ganzhou. The overall rare earth market held stable in the week ended July 5, with prices of praseodymium-neodymium oxide, neodymium oxide, gadolinium oxide and terbium oxide falling, as some traders and small producers, in the face of weaker demand from downstream consumers, lowered their offers to offload cargoes. Large producers maintained their quotes and remained generally optimistic. Tighter supplies of medium, heavy rare-earth ore are expected to continue to push prices of refined materials higher, while a low consumption season and sufficient supplies are likely to weigh on prices of light rare-earth products, such as praseodymium-neodymium oxide in the short term. Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel will release its semi-annual listed prices for rare-earth products later this month. The market also awaits this week’s meeting in Ganzhou of Jiangxi province, a major rare earth production base in China. The meeting will be held by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Engineering and the Jiangxi government to discuss high-quality development of the sector.

China extends purchase tax exemption for new energy vehicles 

SHANGHAI, Jul 1 (SMM) – China will continue to waive purchase taxes on new energy vehicles (NEVs) until the end of 2020, the Ministry of Finance announced on Friday June 28. The new vehicle purchase tax scheme, effective from July 1, remains unchanged at a rate of 10%, and covers automobiles, tramcars, trailers and motorcycles with a gas displacement of over 150 milliliters. However, buyers of electric motorcycles, motorcycles with a gas displacement of no more than 150 milliliters, and trailers that are not for automobiles, will still be exempt from the tax.  

China Southern Rare Earth holds prices of rare-earth oxides stable

SHANGHAI, Jun 25 (SMM) – China Southern Rare Earth Group, one of the six, large, rare earth groups in China, held its quotes for most medium, heavy rare-earth oxides unchanged from last week, according to prices it published on Tuesday June 25. Quotes for dysprosium oxide remained unchanged at 2.05 million yuan/mt, up 71% for the year. Terbium oxide was quoted for 4.2 million yuan/mt, and gained 42% for the year. Quotes for gadolinium oxide declined 20,000 yuan/mt from a week ago to 210,000 yuan/mt, while that for yttrium oxide inched up 2,000 yuan/mt to 22,000 yuan/mt. SMM assessments showed that spot prices of rare-earth oxides held steady last week.Prices of dysprosium oxide held stable at 1.98-2.02 million yuan/mt as of Friday June 21, while prices of terbium oxide retreated to 4.15-4.2 million yuan/mt, after they climbed to a high of 4.2-4.25 million yuan/mt on June 18.

China to build rare-earth innovation center in Hebei 

SHANGHAI, Jun 19 (SMM) – China will build an innovation center to conduct R&D in rare-earth materials for manufacturing. A rally for the establishment of the center was held on Tuesday June 18. The center is located in Xiong'an New Area, a state-level new area in the Baoding area of Hebei province. This project is jointly founded by six state-owned rare-earth companies and seven listed companies, with over 60 key companies, universities and scientific research institutions also on board. The center has a committee of experts, consisting of over 60 specialists and scholars in rare-earth technology and industry. Rare earth is a key material in advanced manufacturing sectors, including telecommunication, high-end equipment, new energy vehicles, robots, rail transportation and high-end medical equipment.

Prices of rare earth continue to rise

SHANGHAI, Jun 17 (SMM) – Prices of light, medium and heavy rare earth products extended their gains in the week ended June 14, SMM assessments showed. For light rare earth, higher ore prices and market optimism bolstered prices of praseodymium-neodymium oxide to 360,000-365,000 yuan/mt, even though downstream consumption did not see strong performance. Prices of neodymium oxide followed praseodymium-neodymium oxide higher, rising to 365,000-370,000 yuan/mt. Light rare earths received a boost from higher ore prices and positive signals from central authorities, but a supply surplus will cap gains. Prices of rare earth carbonate averaged 29,000 yuan/mt as of June 14, sharply up from 20,000 yuan/mt in the previous week. This lifted costs across smelting and separation plants. Market confidence in rare earths grew after President Xi Jinping visited a permanent magnets producer in Jiangxi in May, the National Development and Reform Commission held a seminar in early June to seek advice on the industry, and the NDRC, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Ministry of Natural Resources started detailed surveys in areas rich in mineral deposits last week. For medium, heavy rare earth, prices of terbium oxide climbed significantly to 4.1 million-4.15 million yuan/mt. Prices of yttrium oxide, erbium oxide and holmium oxide all advanced last week, to 210,000-220,000 yuan/mt, 185,000-190,000 yuan/mt and 400,000-410,000 yuan/mt, respectively. An ore supply shortage will remain supportive of prices of medium, heavy rare earth such as terbium oxide and dysprosium oxide. The suspension of ion-type ore imports from Myanmar, and shutdowns of 56 medium, heavy rare earth mines of China South Rare Earth Group intensified issues with medium, heavy rare earth ore supplies.

Rare earth prices extend increases, consumers remain cautious 

SHANGHAI, Jun 13 (SMM) – Spot prices of some rare earth products continued to hike on Thursday June 13, SMM assessed. Cautious sentiment kept downstream consumers purchasing as required, despite stockpiling need in the downstream magnet materials sector. As of Thursday June 13, prices of praseodymium-neodymium oxide climbed to 355,000-362,000 yuan/mt, up an average 1,000 yuan/mt from the previous day. Prices of neodymium oxide increased an average 7,000 yuan/mt on the day, to 362,000-367,000 yuan/mt, and prices of erbium oxide expanded 15,000 yuan/mt, to stand at 185,000-190,000 yuan/mt. 

Medium, heavy rare earth prices continue to rise on supply concerns 

SHANGHAI, Jun 12 (SMM) – A shortage of raw materials is likely to expand the upside room of prices for medium and heavy rare earth oxides, such as dysprosium oxide and terbium oxide, while the upward momentum in prices of light rare earth will be limited as the domestic market still sees a supply glut. As of Wednesday June 12, prices of spot terbium oxide continued to trend upside, to 3,950-4,000 yuan/kg, SMM assessed. This was up some 20% from the middle of May, when prices started to receive a boost from the import ban on Myanmar ore. Prices of terbium metal also jumped on Wednesday June 12, to 4,950-5,050 yuan/kg, up 50 yuan/kg from Tuesday June 11. SMM assessed prices of light rare earth of praseodymium-neodymium oxide flat on the day at 355,000-360,000 yuan/mt. This compared with an average 265,500 yuan/mt in mid-May.  

China launches investigations into rare earth resources

SHANGHAI, Jun 12 (SMM) – China ramped up its investigations into mineral resources such as rare earth, amid a dispute with the US over trade and technology. The National Development and Reform Commission said that it will work with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Natural Resources to send investigators, from June 10, to Inner Mongolia, Jiangxi, Fujian, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi and Sichuan to understand local operations in the minerals industry.

Report: Minmetals begins construction of Jianghua rare earth mine

SHANGHAI, Jun 11 (SMM) – China Minmetals Rare Earth began to construct its rare earth mine in Jianghua, Hunan province on Monday June 10, according to a news release on the website of Jianghua government on June 11. Covering an area of 11.74 km2, the mine has 104,300 mt-equivalent of rare earth oxides, the world’s largest among individual mines. Medium and heavy rare earth accounts for most of the deposit.  

China Northern Rare Earth hikes Jun listed prices of light rare earth

SHANGHAI, Jun 10 (SMM) – State-owned mining company China Northern Rare Earth (Group) raised listed prices of light rare earth products for June, including praseodymium-neodymium oxide and praseodymium-neodymium metal, by over 28% from May, according to a notice on the company's website on Monday June 10. This came after the implementing of higher tariffs on US rare earth products, which grew concerns about a lower supply of seaborne rare earth ores. The adjustment buoyed the listed price of praseodymium-neodymium oxide to 360,000 yuan/mt, up 29.8% on the month, and that of praseodymium-neodymium metal to 450,000 yuan/mt, up 28.6% from May. Listed prices of neodymium oxide also jumped 29.6% to stand at 362,000 yuan/mt, and prices of neodymium metal rose 28.6%, and posted 450,000 yuan/mt. There is further upside room in the prices of light rare earth products as the market remained bullish about prices and producers withheld from offloading cargoes. For medium and heavy rare earth, shortage of feedstock caused by import ban from Myanmar is expected to extend the upside trend in prices. China Southern Rare Earth Group announced on June 3 that its 56 mining subsidiaries of medium, heavy rare earth ore in Jiangxi and two miners of light rare earth ore remained in suspension. This will also tighten supplies and expand prices. The Group has a total of 60 mining subsidiaries for rare earth ore. 

China’s rare earth exports decline 16% in May

SHANGHAI, Jun 10 (SMM) – China, the world’s largest rare earth producer, exported 3,640 mt of such materials in May, down 16% month on month, according to data from China Customs released on Monday June 10. Exports in the first five months of the year came in at 19,266 mt, down 7.2% from the same period last year.

Report: NDRC pushes high-end development of rare earth

SHANGHAI, Jun 5 (SMM) – China's rare earth resources are far from being fully utilised as technical barriers constrain domestic rare earth products to low-end market, said industry experts on a symposium held by National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on Tuesday June 4. Officials and experts encouraged more high-end processing of rare earth materials at the symposium. They also called for the crackdown on rare earth illegal mining, production, and smuggling, which remain major problems facing China’s rare earth market. 

Light rare earth oxides prices to find support after tariffs lower ore imports from US

SHANGHAI, Jun 3 (SMM) – China's imports of rare earth ores are likely to decline as domestic higher tariffs on US goods took effect on June 1. This is expected to support prices of light rare earth products, which accounted for most of the consumption for rare earth ores imports. However, prices of light rare earth products, such as praseodymium-neodymium oxide, will see limited upside room as the market showed signs of slower growth after brisk trades in the previous two weeks. As of Monday June 3, prices of praseodymium-neodymium oxide stood at 335,000-345,000 yuan/mt, up 5,000 yuan/mt from Friday May 31 and from a week ago. US rare earth ore entering China was subject to 25% customs duties from June 1, as a result of Beijing's countermeasures against US tariffs. For medium-to-heavy rare earth products, shortage of raw materials will intensify and expand upside room in rare earth prices, after the import ban on Myanmar ore. SMM assessed that prices of dysprosium oxide held stable at 1.95-2 million yuan/mt as of Monday June 3, unchanged during the previous week but up 20,000 yuan/mt from Friday May 24. Prices of terbium oxide rose 30,000 yuan/mt from Friday May 31, standing at 3.63-3.68 million yuan/mt as of Monday June 3. Prices of erbium oxide jumped 12,500 yuan/mt last week and posted 165,000-175,000 yuan/mt as of Monday June 3 as supplies failed to meet domestic demand.  

Chaozhou to crack down on illegal rare earth operations Jun-Aug

SHANGHAI, May 30 (SMM) – Chaozhou city in Guangdong province will launch a campaign against illegal mining, production, and trades of rare earth in June-August, according to a work meeting in the city on Wednesday May 29. SMM learned that prices of several products of rare earth extended their increases following the announcement. As of Thursday May 30, prices of praseodymium-neodymium oxide climbed 10,000 yuan/mt from May 29, to stand at 330,000-340,000 yuan/mt, SMM assessed. Prices of praseodymium oxide advanced 20,000 yuan/mt from the previous day, to 370,000-380,000 yuan/mt as of Thursday May 30, and prices of neodymium oxide grew 10,000 yuan/mt, standing at 330,000-350,000 yuan/mt. 

China to rule out electric motorcycle purchase tax from July

SHANGHAI, May 29 (SMM) – Chinese consumers who purchase electric motorcycles and light electric motorcycles will be exempted from purchase taxes from July 1, according to the notice published by the Ministry of Finance on May 23. The exemption of purchase taxes is expected to lower the cost to buyers by hundreds of yuan, and spur sales across the market. This comes as a boost to market sentiment after the new national standards for electric motorcycles took effect earlier this year.

Henan steps up NEV promotion

SHANGHAI, May 28 (SMM) – Central China’s Henan province earlier this month announced a slew of actions to step up its efforts in promoting new energy vehicles across the region. According to the Notice on Polices for Henan to Speed up Promotion of the Application of New Energy Vehicles, new public fleets including buses, taxis and sanitation trucks across the province all will be NEVs. Diesel and gasoline vehicles operating for public services will be phased out within three years in key cities and five years in other cities. All new official cars should be NEVs in key cities and exceed 50% in other cities. The Notice also said that NEVs will be exempted from, or pay discounted parking fees. And it encourages local cities to offer subsidies for charging NEVs. Aside from the deployment of NEVs, charging was also a focal point. Electricity charging stations, points and hydrogen fueling stations can receive an incentive of 30% of total investment in major equipment. Hebei also aims to get all expressways across the region furnished with charging facilities by the end of 2020.

Rare earths: China closes Tengchong Yunnan/Myanmar port and bans imports of rare earth from Myanmar 

SHANGHAI, May 27 (SMM) Imports of rare earth ores and concentrates from Myanmar were banned earlier this month by Chinese authorities.  Imports from Myanmar have been a significant source of rare earth raw materials to the Chinese industry since 2017. In addition, China closed the Tengchong Yunnan/Myanmar port, which has been the main boarder crossing point for rare earth ores and concentrates, with no sign of the port reopening over the coming months. In 2018, imports of rare earth materials from Myanmar into China were reported to contain 23kt REO, including 860t Dy oxide and 130t Tb oxide, equivalent to 40% of China’s annual production.Since more stringent environmental controls were implemented in Southern Chinese provinces during 2016 and subsequent years, rare earth mining activities moved from China to Myanmar and other countries bordering Yunnan province. Approximately 15,000-16,000 people migrated from Ganzhou, Jiangxi province to Myanmar during this period to exploit rare earth resources and supply material back to the Chinese market. The ban on imports into China comes after a six-month winding-down period agreed in late 2018, which required Chinese enterprises to hand back control of rare earth mining operations in Myanmar. The reasoning behind the ban from one perspective can be seen as China dissociating itself from unregulated mining in Myanmar which has caused significant environmental damage historically in Southern Chinese provinces. Alternatively, the ban closes a predominant route of illegal production into the Chinese industry, continuing with Beijing’s campaign to reduce illegal rare earth production to below 5ktpy REO. According to market consensus in China, it is considered unlikely that the Tengchong Yunnan/Myanmar port will be reopened in 2019. Ultimately, the closure of the Myanmar-China border for rare earths trade is expected to disrupt the supply chain of many rare earth processors in Southern China through the remainder of 2019, with alternative sources few and far between. The short-term restart of several ion-adsorption clay mines in Southern China is considered unlikely, as many require investment to upgrade facilities to current environmental standards. As a result, tightening supply of raw materials is expected to cause some rare earth producers (including SOEs) to fall short of annual production quotas, or for significant de-stocking to occur. Prices for heavy rare earths, particularly dysprosium, are also expected to increase, given greater supply side pressure and increasing demand from magnet alloy producers. 

Report: Jiangsu establishes EV battery recycling alliance

SHANGHAI, May 26 (SMM)  In the face of the rapidly growing new energy vehicle sector, East China’s Jiangsu province established an industrial alliance for the recycling and re-use of NEV power batteries. The inaugural meeting for the alliance was held in Nanjing on Friday May 24, according to the report by Xinhuanet.com. The alliance is led by China Tower in Jiangsu and State Grid in Jiangsu, supervised by the provincial ministry of industry and information technology. It consists of hundreds of automakers, battery makers, automotive service providers, dismantling plants, recyclers, re-users, research institutions and financial service providers.

Growth in rare earth prices to slow after strong week

SHANGHAI, May 24 (SMM) – Growth in prices of rare earth products is expected to moderate next week after prices increased considerably in the week ended Friday May 24, SMM expects. Price growth in major rare earth products already slowed in the second half of the week, as higher prices sidelined downstream buyers. A number of producers continued to hold from selling in hope of further upside room in prices. Besides medium-to-heavy rare earth, whose prices jumped on supply woes, light rare earth such as praseodymium- and neodymium- related products also climbed this week, as President Xi Jinping’s visit to a downstream permanent magnet company boosted market confidence on Monday May 20.  As of Friday May 24, prices of praseodymium-neodymium oxide stood at 330,000-340,000 yuan/mt, up from an average 264,000 yuan/mt a week ago, SMM assessed. Import ban on Myanmar ore grew market concerns about tighter supplies and bolsters prices of medium-to-heavy rare earth. SMM assessed prices of dysprosium oxide at 1.95-2 million yuan/mt as of Friday May 24, compared with 1.64 million yuan/mt on Friday May 17. 

Xi’s visit boosts rare earth stocks in China

SHANGHAI, May 21 (SMM) – Rare earth stocks in China soared on Tuesday, with Hong Kong-listed China Rare Earth notching the biggest gain of 135% in history, after President Xi Jinping Monday visited a rare earth enterprise in Jiangxi province. SMM learned that most rare earth producers held back from selling praseodymium-neodymium metal and oxide since Monday afternoon, suggesting optimism across the market. Praseodymium-neodymium oxide was quoted 270,000-280,000 yuan/mt in morning trade, up from 260,000-263,000 yuan/mt on Thursday May 16. Prices of rare earths have already received a boost from import restriction. Imports of rare earth-related commodities were halted from May 15 by Tengchong Customs in Yunnan province, the sole entry point for rare earth shipments from Myanmar to China. Curbs on rare earth imports from Myanmar, together with tighter domestic regulations on environmental protection and higher tariffs on rare earth ore imports from the US are expected to bolster rare earth prices. US 100% dependence on imports of rare earths, which are used in weapons, cell phones, hybrid cars, and magnets, kept the industry in the spotlight amid the trade dispute between Beijing and Washington. Data showed that Chinese materials accounted for 80% of rare earth metals and oxides that entered the US in 2018. China set rare earth mining quota at 60,000 mt for the first half of 2019, down 18.4% year on year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced in March. The quota for smelting and separation was slashed by 17.9%, and stood at 57,500 mt.