精炼镍进口量大增，镍不锈钢价格高位震荡

1. Report Industry Investment Rating No relevant content provided. 2. Core Viewpoints of the Report - The price of refined nickel and stainless steel is oscillating at a high level. The core contradiction of nickel lies in the continuous tug - of - war between "strong expectations" and "high inventory + weak reality", while that of stainless steel is the game between raw material cost support and weak downstream demand [1][3][4]. - The short - term nickel price is expected to oscillate in the range of 138,000 - 148,000 yuan/ton, and stainless steel will maintain a high - level oscillation [3][4]. 3. Summary by Related Catalogs Nickel Variety Market Analysis - Futures: On January 20, 2026, the main contract 2602 of Shanghai nickel opened at 142,500 yuan/ton and closed at 141,360 yuan/ton, with a change of 0.36% compared with the previous trading day. The trading volume was 695,146 (-254,226) lots, and the open interest was 79,005 (-4,205) lots. It showed a trend of wide - range oscillation after a high opening and a decline in the late session, affected by macro - sentiment, supply - demand expectations, and external market linkage. In December 2025, China's refined nickel imports were 23,394 tons, a month - on - month increase of 85% and a year - on - year increase of 24%. Other unwrought non - alloy nickel imports were 16,177 tons, accounting for 69% of refined nickel imports [1]. - Nickel Ore: The sentiment in the nickel ore market heated up. The tender price of Philippine mines jumped significantly, and the domestic mainstream grade quotation quickly followed. The CIF quotation of 1.4% grade nickel ore has risen to about 53 US dollars. The Indonesian market is temporarily stable after the previous benchmark price adjustment, and the official benchmark price in February is expected to increase by about 3 US dollars [1][2]. - Spot: Jinchuan Group's sales price in the Shanghai market was 150,900 yuan/ton, an increase of 1,300 yuan/ton from the previous trading day. The spot trading was average, and the spot premium of each brand of refined nickel was slightly adjusted. The premium of Jinchuan nickel changed by 400 yuan/ton to 8,250 yuan/ton, the premium of imported nickel changed by - 50 yuan/ton to 550 yuan/ton, and the premium of nickel beans was 2,450 yuan/ton. The previous trading day's Shanghai nickel warehouse receipt volume was 41,478 (-320) tons, and the LME nickel inventory was 284,736 (-972) tons [2]. Strategy - Due to the possible recurrence of Indonesia's nickel ore policy and the rainy season in Indonesia in the first quarter, the nickel cost is supported to run at a high level. It is expected that the short - term nickel price will oscillate in the range of 138,000 - 148,000 yuan/ton. Attention should be paid to the implementation of Indonesia's quota, changes in spot premium, and the recovery rhythm of stainless steel demand [3]. - Unilateral: Mainly conduct range operations; Cross - period: None; Cross - variety: None; Spot - futures: None; Options: None [3]. Stainless Steel Variety Market Analysis - Futures: On January 20, 2026, the main contract 2603 of stainless steel opened at 14,300 yuan/ton and closed at 14,345 yuan/ton. The trading volume was 296,762 (+9,074) lots, and the open interest was 145,198 (-4,171) lots. It followed the trend of Shanghai nickel, showing a trend of rising first and then falling and closing up. The core contradiction lies in the game between raw material cost support and weak downstream demand, and it is also affected by macro - sentiment and inventory pattern [3][4]. - Spot: Downstream demand is weak as it is the pre - Spring Festival ending stage. High prices suppress procurement, and the inventory digestion rhythm slows down. The quotations of traders are slightly adjusted after rising with the futures market. The stainless steel price in Wuxi market is 14,350 (+50) yuan/ton, and that in Foshan market is 14,250 (+100) yuan/ton. The premium of 304/2B is 85 to 285 yuan/ton. The ex - factory tax - included average price of high - nickel pig iron changed by 1.00 yuan/nickel point to 1,028.5 yuan/nickel point [4]. Strategy - In the short term, the high inventory and weak spot demand form a long - short contradiction with the rising cost and macro - policies. It is expected that stainless steel will maintain a high - level oscillation. Attention should be paid to the implementation of Indonesia's mining policy, the recovery rhythm of downstream demand, and inventory changes [4]. - Unilateral: Neutral; Cross - period: None; Cross - variety: None; Spot - futures: None; Options: None [4].