According to the monitoring of the business community, the domestic rare earth market price index fluctuated in June, the rare earth market was weak, the domestic praseodymium neodymium price market was deadlocked, and the heavy rare earth market price fell slightly. On June 30, the rare earth index was 845 points, unchanged from yesterday, down 16.09% from the highest point 1007 in the cycle (2022-02-24), and up 211.81% from the lowest point 271 on September 13, 2015. (Note: the period refers to 2011-12-01 to now).
In June, the domestic light rare earth market price trend was volatile, and the prices of praseodymium and neodymium series, the mainstream of the rare earth market, rose and fell. In terms of products:
It can be clearly seen from the product price trend chart that the prices of domestic metal neodymium, neodymium oxide and praseodymium oxide increased slightly, but the prices of metal praseodymium, praseodymium neodymium alloy and praseodymium neodymium oxide decreased slightly. On the whole, the market of light rare earth is depressed. By the end of the month, the price of neodymium oxide in rare earth in China was 970000 yuan / ton, an increase of 0.52%; The price of neodymium was 1.195 million yuan / ton, with a price increase of 0.84%; The price of praseodymium oxide was 972500 yuan / ton, with a price increase of 1.83%; The price of praseodymium neodymium oxide was 932500 yuan / ton, with a decrease of 1.48%; The price of praseodymium neodymium alloy was 1.14 million yuan / ton, down 1.30%; The price of praseodymium metal was 1.245 million yuan / ton, with a decline of 0.80%. The domestic rare earth market was weak.
The domestic rare earth market price is in a stalemate, the recent downstream procurement is not active, the number of new orders is relatively small, the market of some praseodymium and neodymium products fell slightly, the wait-and-see mood of magnetic material enterprises deepened, and the purchase intention is weak. Due to the normal supply of mainstream products such as praseodymium and neodymium oxide in some large groups, some small waste recycling enterprises are affected by the shortage of waste supply, and the raw material inventory is insufficient to reduce production. Magnetic material enterprises are mostly distributed in Zhejiang. Affected by the epidemic in the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta, the demand for orders of downstream new energy vehicles, electric two wheeled vehicles and other vehicles has shrunk, the demand for spot procurement is weak, and the on-site prices have fallen slightly. The downstream demand side has not been significantly improved, the procurement demand is limited, the market negotiation atmosphere is general, and the market price of light rare earth praseodymium and neodymium is mainly volatile. In late June, Baotou Iron and steel group raised the price of rare earth concentrate, which to some extent enhanced the confidence of operators, and the market price of light rare earth in the market stopped falling and stabilized.
The national environmental protection supervision is still continuing. Rare earth is purchased on demand. At present, the inventory of neodymium oxide praseodymium has not changed much. Affected by the sentiment of buying up or not, the price trend on the floor has declined slightly. According to statistics, the demand for new energy vehicles increased. The data released by the China Association of automobile manufacturers showed that in May 2022, China’s automobile production and sales reached 1.926 million and 1.862 million respectively, with a month on month increase of 59.7% and 57.6% respectively, and a year-on-year decrease of 5.7% and 12.6% respectively. Automobile production and sales rose sharply. Recently, the demand in the new energy field was poor, the domestic light rare earth market fell slightly, and the domestic heavy rare earth market price fell slightly.
It can be seen from the trend chart that the price trend of dysprosium Series in China fell in June. As of the end of the month, the price of dysprosium oxide was 2.49 million yuan / ton, and the price trend fell by 3.86%; Dysprosium ferroalloy price was 2.465 million yuan / ton, with a decline of 4.64%; The price of dysprosium metal was 3.24 million yuan / ton, with a decrease of 4.14%; The price trend of terbium Series in China has fallen. The price of terbium oxide in China is 14.05 million yuan / ton, and the price of metal terbium is 17.95 million yuan / ton. The price of heavy rare earths fell slightly, and the leading magnetic material factory purchased on demand, which made the domestic heavy rare earth market fall slightly. The raw material inventory of separation enterprises in the areas where light rare earth mines are used in Sichuan and other places decreased. The reduction of this part of supply had little impact on the operating rate of separation plants in the areas where light rare earth mines are used. However, recently, with the epidemic being controlled, production enterprises have started gradually, the supply side has eased, and the rare earth market atmosphere continues to be flat, Downstream magnetic material enterprises just need to follow up as planned, and their mood is more cautious. However, Myanmar’s exports are limited, and the global supply of rare earth is relatively concentrated. Myanmar is one of the production areas next to China and the United States. Myanmar has a great impact on products in the domestic heavy rare earth market, and the price of heavy rare earth in the market fell slightly.
In addition, the state policy supports the rare earth market. The first batch of Rare Earth total amount control indicators in 2022 are in line with expectations, and the industry pattern continues to be optimized. On the 28th, the Ministry of industry and information technology and the Ministry of natural resources issued the first batch of Rare Earth total amount control indicators in 2022, of which the mining indicators and smelting separation indicators were 100800 tons and 97200 tons respectively. The increase of the index is in line with expectations, and the country is still relatively restrained in releasing the rare earth supply index. In 2022, the first batch of ore indicators / smelting separation indicators were all +20% year-on-year, with a growth rate lower than that of the first batch in 2021 (year-on-year +27.3%/27.6%), and it is expected that the overall supply and demand of rare earth will remain tight in 22 years. The index increment is still concentrated on light rare earth. Among the mining indicators in 2022, rock type rare earths (mainly light rare earths) were 89310 tons, up +23.2% year-on-year, and ionic rare earths were 11490 tons, flat year-on-year. It is expected that the increase concentrated on light rare earths will be a long-term trend, and the domestic rare earth market will still be supported in the long run.
The sustainable development of new energy vehicles, wind power and variable frequency air conditioning in the downstream of rare earth, coupled with the recent resumption of production of terminal factories, the demand for relevant orders of upstream magnetic material enterprises has resumed, and the government has issued policies such as halving the purchase tax, which is expected to boost the consumption of terminal new energy vehicles. Chen Ling, an analyst of business society, predicts that the domestic rare earth market price will be supported to a certain extent, and the price will remain at a high level.