Nickel prices spent much of Q3 2025 trading at five‑year lows even as intermediates surged, highlighting the deepening split between China‑led chemical demand and a structurally oversupplied global metal market. Nickel sulphate EXW China climbed 7% across the quarter to RMB 27,800–28,020/t ($3,920–3951/t), its highest since March. Precursor and cathode producers rebuilt inventories in August and […]
> Payables for nickel in mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) have remained at elevated levels (84–86%) since April, according to the Benchmark Nickel Price Assessment. This is despite structural oversupply and macroeconomic uncertainty weighing on nickel prices more broadly. Payables initially rose to a three-year high following extensive flooding at the Morowali Industrial Park, which caused a […]
> In the third quarter of 2025, 18 of the largest 25 copper miners reported quarter-on-quarter decreases in their output, including the top four miners. The total Q3 copper production reported by the top 25 miners hit 3.72Mt. “In the third quarter, many companies saw lower production compared to the previous quarter. However, most did not […]
> As the dust settles on LME Week in London, Benchmark reviews some of the key themes that shaped discussions throughout the week and gauges sentiment across metal markets heading towards year end. Across the board, discussions reflected metal markets navigating shifting trade policy, supply-side disruption, and uneven demand recovery. Copper: Arbitrage and disruption dominate discussion […]
> The Indonesian government is proposing what ministers have termed “regulatory tweaks” aimed at promoting the adoption of nickel-based batteries over lithium iron phosphate (LFP), in a move that aligns with the government’s broader policy to ‘downstream’ its nickel resources by establishing a fully-integrated domestic EV supply chain. While details of the new policy framework are […]
> Chinese nickel sulphate prices weakened further in early August as low demand for nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) cathodes pushed prices lower. Average prices for nickel sulphate in China declined 1.9% to RMB 26,500 ($3,710) per tonne in the two week period ending 14 August, according to the Benchmark Nickel Price Assessment. Downstream demand has been limited […]
> Lithium chemical prices spiked in China on Monday following a bullish speech by the chairman of Ganfeng – the world’s third-largest lithium producer – in which it was suggested that lithium demand growth could reach 30% in 2026. In a keynote speech on 16 November at the 10th International Summit on Power Battery Application in […]
> China’s Ministry of Commerce has announced new export control measures on “dual-use products” on national security grounds, encompassing lithium ion batteries as well as cathode active materials (CAM) and anode active materials (AAM). The restrictions were confirmed on the same day that Beijing escalated controls on rare earth elements and associated technologies, ahead of high-level […]
> Indonesia’s nickel smelters are paying an increasingly steep premium to secure nickel ore, as a domestic supply crunch squeezes the industry’s margins. Benchmark notes the premium for some grades, based on data from Mysteel, is approaching 100% over the government’s benchmark price, known as the Harga Patokan Mineral (HPM). This supply tightness is driven by […]