ZHESHANG SECURITIES·2026-01-15 05:17Investment Rating - The industry investment rating is optimistic [1] Core Views - The metal bull market is expected to continue, with significant price increases across various metal categories in 2025 [3] - The report emphasizes the importance of geopolitical factors and the ongoing "de-dollarization" process, which may extend the current commodity supercycle [6][10] Price Performance by Metal - Precious Metals: Gold is projected to rise 57% to 971 CNY/gram, and silver is expected to increase by 129% to 17.1 CNY/gram [6] - Industrial Metals: Copper is forecasted to increase by 34% to 99,000 CNY/ton, aluminum by 14% to 23,000 CNY/ton, lead by 3% to 17,000 CNY/ton, and zinc is expected to decrease by 10% to 23,000 CNY/ton [6] - Energy Metals: Lithium carbonate is expected to rise by 58% to 119,000 CNY/ton, and electrolytic nickel by 10% to 138,000 CNY/ton [6] - Strategic Metals: Neodymium oxide is projected to increase by 52% to 610,000 CNY/ton, and tungsten concentrate by 218% to 455,000 CNY/ton [6] Investment Focus - Key investment opportunities include lithium companies such as Ganfeng Lithium, Zhongjin Lingnan, and Salt Lake Industry; cobalt companies like Huayou Cobalt and Liqin Resources; and various gold, copper, aluminum, and rare earth companies [6] Metal Price Changes in Q4 2025 - Lithium carbonate averaged 80,000 CNY/ton, with a year-on-year increase of 95% [7] - Gold averaged 951 CNY/gram, with a year-on-year increase of 54% [7] - Copper averaged 89,000 CNY/ton, with a year-on-year increase of 18% [7] Copper Market Insights - The average LME copper price for 2025 is projected to be around 10,000 USD/ton, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 9% [10] - The report highlights the impact of the declining US dollar index and geopolitical tensions on copper prices [10] Aluminum Market Insights - The average price of A00 aluminum is expected to reach 20,700 CNY/ton in 2025, with a year-on-year increase of 4% [22] - The report notes that aluminum prices are driven by strong downstream demand and supportive policies [22] Energy Metals Insights - The average price of battery-grade lithium carbonate is projected to be 75,921 CNY/ton for 2025, with a significant increase in Q4 [33] - Nickel and cobalt prices are also expected to remain strong, with electrolytic nickel averaging 124,100 CNY/ton [33] Strategic Metals Insights - The report indicates that prices for rare earths and tungsten are on the rise, with neodymium oxide expected to average 55.6 million CNY/ton in Q4 2025 [39] - The strategic importance of these metals is emphasized in the context of global geopolitical dynamics [40]