Highlights
- Rare earth oxide prices stabilize at low levels, triggering modest downstream procurement despite fragile market sentiment.
- Upstream rare earth ore prices remain pressured, with suppressed production and cautious trading amid export restrictions.
- Permanent magnet sector remains weak, with NdFeB blank prices soft and limited signs of substantial market recovery.
As China heads into its Labor Day holiday, the rare earths sector shows signs of selective recovery, though structural weaknesses persist. According to the latest SMM Rare Earth Weekly Review (opens in a new tab), prices for several rare earth oxides—including lanthanum, cerium, and Pr-Nd—have stabilized at historically low levels, spurring a modest uptick in downstream procurement. Dysprosium and terbium oxide declines have slowed, and spot market activity has marginally increased as buyers scramble to restock ahead of the holiday. Still, market sentiment remains fragile amid stagnant end-use demand and tepid pricing in magnetic materials.
On the upstream side, rare earth ore prices remain under pressure, with monazite and rare earth carbonate slipping slightly due to cautious sentiment and lack of aggressive buying by separation plants. Meanwhile, the rare earth metals segment is experiencing suppressed production and pricing. Despite magnetic material producers gaining export licenses, sluggish demand, compounded by China’s tightening export restrictions, has stifled interest in Pr-Nd alloy, dysprosium-iron alloy, and terbium metal. Traders and manufacturers are holding back, uncertain whether prices have reached bottom or further contraction looms.
Perhaps most telling is the lackluster state of the permanent magnet sector. NdFeB blank prices remain soft, and both pricing resistance and an approaching industry off-season dampen procurement appetite. Even recycled rare earths from NdFeB scrap saw only a minor rebound in Pr-Nd pricing, suggesting that speculative restocking, not structural recovery, is driving short-term activity. In sum, China’s rare earth sector is showing tactical movement rather than strategic strength. Without a revival in export volumes or a rebound in global end-market demand, market watchers remain unconvinced that the recent buying surge signals true recovery.
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