Chinese rare earth prices were in the downward trend in the week began on Monday August 12, 2019. Recently, due to weak demand in the off-season and the lack of substantial news release in the market, downstream buyers did not have the plan of replenishment and market transactions were hardly concluded. Under the pressure of thin trading and capital shortage, some mining enterprises started to reduce prices for more sales. But the decline was still supported by the cost side. 

The molybdenum concentrate, molybdenum powder and molybdenum oxide prices in China maintained stability in the week ended on Friday August 16, 2019 because purchasers’ demand was limited while sellers also were not reluctant to sell and to quote. 

Analysis of latest tungsten market from Chinatungsten Online

Chinese tungsten prices maintain stability affected by Sino-US trade friction, environmental protection inspection, high temperature and heavy rains. Most of companies now feature of low profits, capital shortage and low operating rate. Raw material manufacturers are reluctant to sell at low prices while smelting factories face risks of price inversion. Downstream buyers purchase products on what they actual need and try to force prices down. 

The terbium oxide, neodymium oxide and praseodymium neodymium metal continued to decline on quiet market trading and the impact of heavy rains. At the time of off-season in August, the consumption of downstream magnetic materials enterprises was relatively weak. In addition, due to the instability of Sino-US economic and trade consultations, the confidence in the strategic metal market was slightly loose. Most of the holders’ quotations were slightly reduced. 

The China molybdenum prices continued to maintain a stable and good trend when buyers and sellers took a watchful stance. For raw material market, the trading was good with persistent supply shortage. Mining enterprises were not willing to sell products and thus low-price resources in the market were limited. 

Recently, Kechao Zhou, the vice president of Central South University led a team of professors to Zigong Cemented Carbide Corp., Ltd (ZGCC) to discuss R&D cooperation projects of 3D printing and tungsten materials. Xiaofeng Wang, an associate professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering of Central South University, and Jun Liao, the technical director of the company, signed a cooperation agreement on the R&D project of 3D printing complex-shaped WC-based cemented carbide and tungsten materials.

Analysis of latest tungsten market from Chinatungsten Online

The ammonium paratungstate (APT) price in China tended to fall but still kept stable last week on competitive offers from suppliers and falling forward prices. The market is now at its lowest since February 2017 amid continuously weakening demand. The price of ferro-tungsten was unchanged with spot activity slightly improving last week and business concluded within the range.

Rare earth market quotation in China: the praseodymium oxide price drops slightly while prices of lanthanum oxide and cerium oxide remain unchanged from the previous trading day. 

The ferro molybdenum and molybdenum oxide prices in China decline slightly affected by deadlocked supply and demand in the market. Traders are hard to make offers due to heavy wait-and-see atmosphere in the market. 

Waveguide composed by tungsten disulfide has been developed by the engineers at the University of California San Diego and it is only three layers of atoms thin and is the thinnest optical device in the world! Researchers published their findings on Aug 12 in Nature Nanotechnology.