镍价重拾金融属性，不宜过分看空

1. Report Industry Investment Rating No relevant information provided. 2. Core Viewpoints - The nickel price has regained its financial attribute, and there is no need to be overly bearish. Although the non - ferrous sector has seen a general decline due to the correction of precious metals and copper, the medium - to - long - term trend remains upward. The nickel market is in a state of supply surplus and continuous inventory accumulation, but considering multiple dimensions such as the macro - environment, capital flow, and market sentiment, the price may not be overly pessimistic. [1][6] - The stainless steel market has a good inventory reduction recently, but the inflow of funds is limited. It passively follows the nickel price, with limited upside and difficulty in deep decline. [9] 3. Summary by Directory Chapter 1: Spread Tracking and Inventory 1.1 Nickel - Price and Spread Data - From January 5th to January 9th, the Shanghai - London ratio fluctuated around 7.96 - 8.05, with a 0.03 increase compared to the previous weekend and the end of last month. The spot import profit and loss, LME nickel premium/discount, and various nickel product premium/discounts also showed certain changes. For example, the SMM Jinchuan nickel premium increased by 1400 yuan compared to the previous weekend and the end of last month. [10] 1.2 Nickel - Global Nickel Inventory - Global visible nickel inventory reached 348,000 tons, an increase of 31,700 tons this week, mainly due to a large amount of warehousing in LME Asian warehouses stimulated by high nickel prices, and there was also an increase of over 2,000 tons in domestic social inventory. The supply of Jinchuan nickel is tight, and the spot premium has risen to 9,000 yuan/ton. [16] 1.3 Stainless Steel - Social Inventory and Warehouse Receipts - The social inventory of stainless steel continues to decline, and warehouse receipts are at a low level. Although the terminal demand for stainless steel is still weak, traders are actively replenishing inventory. The price of stainless steel has followed the rise of nickel prices, but the increase is relatively restrained due to the lack of large - scale capital inflow. [9][18] Chapter 2: Fundamental Analysis 2.1 Pure Nickel - Production: In 2025, the cumulative production of refined nickel increased by 17% year - on - year to 392,700 tons. In January, high nickel prices are expected to further boost production. From January to November 2025, the net import of domestic refined nickel was 48,900 tons, compared with a net export of 24,800 tons in the same period last year. Due to the opening of the import window at the end of December, the net import in January is expected to increase. From January to November 2025, the domestic supply of refined nickel was 410,000 tons, a year - on - year increase of 48%. [25] - Demand: From January to December, the cumulative consumption of pure nickel increased by 2% year - on - year to 291,000 tons. Electroplating consumption decreased seasonally, while alloy consumption increased slightly, and overall consumption slowed down. In December, the PMI of the downstream nickel industry stood above the 50 boom - bust line due to the recovery of stainless steel, but the consumption of pure nickel in electroplating, alloy, etc. was in the off - season, with a significant month - on - month decline. [28] 2.2 Stainless Steel - Raw Materials - Nickel Ore: The first - round benchmark price of Indonesian domestic nickel ore in January 2026 increased month - on - month, and the premium remained flat at HPM + 25 - +26 US dollars/wet ton. The Indonesian government will adjust nickel quotas according to industry demand. Some mines are operating normally, while others are waiting for quotas. [30] - NPI: The NPI market has recovered. The price of high - nickel iron has increased, and the production of China + Indonesia NPI has also shown a certain trend. The profit margin of NPI in some regions has improved. [32][33] - Chromium - based Products: Starting from January 1, 2026, Zimbabwe has imposed a 10% tax on the export of chromium - based products, causing the price of chromium ore to rebound continuously. The long - term purchase price of high - carbon ferrochrome by Tsingshan Group in January 2026 has decreased. [43] - Cost and Hedging: Estimating the cold - rolling cash cost at around 13,900 yuan/ton and the integrated cost at 13,400 yuan/ton. The futures market can provide hedging profits, reflecting a lively market atmosphere. [46] - Supply: It is estimated that the production of stainless - steel crude steel in China and India in 2025 was 45.06 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 4%. The production schedule in January has increased month - on - month, but whether it can be achieved depends on raw material supply. From January to November 2025, China's total stainless - steel imports were 1.374 million tons, a year - on - year decrease of 21%; total exports were 4.546 million tons, a year - on - year decrease of 1%; and the net export volume was 3.172 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 12%. [55] - Demand: The growth rate of shipbuilding plate production from January to November increased by 29% year - on - year, providing support for stainless - steel demand, while the growth rates in other terminal fields are not optimistic. [57] 2.3 New Energy Vehicles - Domestic Market: From January to November, the domestic sales of new energy vehicles were 12.466 million, a year - on - year increase of 23.2%. In December, the retail sales of new energy passenger vehicles were 1.387 million, a year - on - year increase of 7% and a month - on - month increase of 5%. The production of power cells increased by 41.9% year - on - year to 124.55 GWh from January to December. In January, the production of ternary power is expected to decrease by 6.1% month - on - month. [62] - Global Market: From January to November 2025, the global sales of new energy vehicles increased by 20.1% year - on - year to 18.39 million. European sales increased by 29.2% year - on - year to 3.434 million, while US sales increased by 0.7% year - on - year to 1.39 million. China's new energy vehicle exports from January to November were 2.283 million, a year - on - year increase of 100%. [67] - Nickel Sulfate Market: In 2025, China's nickel sulfate production decreased by 4.3% year - on - year to 354,000 nickel tons, while the production of ternary precursors increased by 6% year - on - year to 903,000 tons, and the production of ternary cathode materials increased by 19% year - on - year to 686,000 tons. In January, the demand for nickel sulfate slowed down, but the price followed the rise of refined nickel. [69] - Nickel Sulfate Raw Materials: In 2025, Indonesia's MHP production increased by 41% year - on - year to 444,000 tons, while high - grade nickel matte production decreased by 18% year - on - year to 224,000 tons. The increase in sulfur prices has raised the cost of MHP, and the good demand for nickel sulfate has boosted the price of intermediate products and stimulated production recovery. [75] 2.4 Overall Situation of Pure Nickel - The production of pure nickel has recovered, and the supply surplus has expanded, resulting in continuous inventory accumulation in the market. [76] Trading Logic and Strategies - Nickel: Considering the overall rise of the non - ferrous sector, it is recommended not to overly rely on industry constraints such as supply - demand and cost. Instead, multiple dimensions such as the macro - environment, capital flow, and market sentiment should be comprehensively considered. After the price has risen rapidly, the volatility has increased, so it is recommended to control positions and operate with caution. For unilateral trading, buy on pullbacks; for options, wait and see for the time being. [6] - Stainless Steel: Although the inventory of stainless steel has been reduced well recently, it has not attracted a large amount of capital inflow, so the increase is relatively limited. However, due to the low inventory level of downstream and insufficient arrival of goods at steel mills, there is inventory replenishment when the price pulls back, and it is also difficult for the price to decline sharply. It passively follows the nickel price to operate at a high level. For unilateral trading, it passively follows the high - level operation of the nickel price; for arbitrage, wait and see for the time being. [9]