新能源及有色金属周报 | 2025-10-12 宏观方面：美国联邦政府10月1日停摆，导致全球经济前景的不确定性增加。此外，美联储10月降息预期降温，美 元指数升至106.5，人民币汇率承压贬值至7.35，美元走强将对价格起到一定压制作用。国庆长假期间，国内出台 文旅与基建新政，强化了新能源与高端制造对关键金属的中长期需求预期。叠加市场对四季度 "稳增长" 政策加码 的期待，基本金属板块风险偏好显著提升。 供应：镍矿方面，周内镍矿市场较为平静，镍矿价格维稳运行。菲律宾方面，苏里高等矿区即将步入雨季，矿山 陆续停止出货。铁厂利润受挫，对原料镍矿采购维持谨慎。印尼方面，镍矿市场供应持续宽松格局。但印尼政府 将采矿许可证期限从3年缩短至1年，短期引发市场对 2026 年及以后供应稳定性的担忧。尽管当前 2025 年配额仍 有效，但政策调整增加了中长期产能释放的变数。 消费：9月不锈钢和电池材料需求基本保持稳定，合金及特钢耗镍量有一定增加。但考虑到"金九银十"为传统消费 旺季，整体消费增长情况不及预期。 成本利润：一体化MHP生产电积镍成本116448元/吨，利润4.40%；一体化高冰镍生产电积镍成本124802元/ ...

宏观氛围积极，周期底 部渐明 镍月报 2025/10/10 刘显杰（联系人） 0755-23375125 liuxianjie@wkqh.cn 交易咨询号：Z0015924 从业资格号：F03130746 吴坤金（有色金属组） 从业资格号：F3036210 CONTENTS 目录 01 月度评估及策略推荐 04 精炼镍 02 期现市场 05 硫酸镍 03 成本端 06 供需平衡 01 月度评估及策略推荐 月度评估及策略推荐 ◆ 资源端：近期镍矿价格持稳运行为主。菲律宾方面，虽然国内镍铁价格下跌，需求走弱，但菲律宾主产区雨季即将到来，矿山挺价意愿偏强， 预计菲律宾镍矿价格短期或难有下跌。印尼方面，整体供需依旧宽松，但RKAB 最新一轮配额修订预计将在本月公布，随后将提交2026年的新 RKAB，出于对四季度及2026年RKAB审批额度的担忧，冶炼厂已加快备库，整体矿价下行空间有限。 ◆ 镍铁：近期镍铁价格有所走弱，主要系不锈钢社会库存去库速度较缓，旺季对不锈钢价格支撑有限，钢企采购意愿普遍低迷，带动镍铁价格走 弱。目前，市场逐步转向交易旺季之后的基本面悲观预期，预计后市仍有进一步下跌空间。 ◆ 中间品：供应端， ...

Macro Perspective - The U.S. Markit manufacturing and services PMI declined in September but remains in expansion territory, indicating a cooling in prices [1] - Federal Reserve Chair Powell stated that interest rates are still "moderately restrictive," highlighting the dual challenges facing monetary policy, while also suggesting that the stock market may be overvalued [1] Industry Analysis - According to Huazhong Futures, the 2025 RKAB approval quota provides sufficient raw material security for smelters, although policy disruptions persist [1] - Domestic nickel imports remained high in July, with Indonesian nickel pig iron supply also stable in August, and electrolytic nickel production maintained at elevated levels [1] - Refined nickel social inventory saw a slight decrease [1] Demand Insights - Zhongcai Futures noted that stainless steel performance improved slightly in September, while real estate data from July showed weak seasonal performance [1] - In the new energy sector, the operating rate of ternary materials improved month-on-month in September, with demand showing slight improvement during the "golden September" period [1] Market Outlook - Copper Crown Jinyuan Futures indicated that disruptions from Indonesian mine closures are limited, with nickel ore prices remaining stable and no extreme weather impacts on overseas nickel mines [1] - Domestic southern port shipments are temporarily stagnant, leading to tight supply of intermediate products, with MHP spot resources in short supply and high nickel prices continuing to rise [1] - Nickel iron prices are still on an upward trend, but downstream acceptance remains weak, resulting in a slow pace of price increases [1] - The spot trading of pure nickel is sluggish, with no significant changes in premiums and discounts, suggesting that short-term nickel prices lack clear drivers and may undergo technical corrections [1]

Report Overview - The report focuses on the nickel and stainless steel industries, analyzing their fundamentals, inventory changes, and market news [1][2]. 1. Report Industry Investment Rating - Not provided in the content. 2. Core Viewpoints - **Nickel Market**: The fundamentals of Shanghai nickel show that the resonance of real - world inventory accumulation and weak expectations suppresses prices, and the Indonesian nickel mine issue increases short - selling risks. The surplus in nickel is mainly in the ferronickel segment, with a pattern of increasing supply and weak demand. The expected commissioning of pure nickel in the second half of the year puts pressure on prices, but the substitution of nickel plates with ferronickel in the alloy sector has increased. The marginal improvement in non - standard nickel fundamentals shows some de - stocking, but there is still a need for more pure nickel to be re - allocated or cleared to resolve the inventory accumulation contradiction. Indonesian news may significantly weaken short - sellers' confidence [1]. - **Stainless Steel Market**: There is a game between short - term supply - demand logic and long - term "cost - performance trading", and steel prices are oscillating. Short - term supply and demand lack drivers. The demand side has issues such as tariff contradictions and weak post - production - cycle consumption, and the supply side has adjusted production. Although the supply - demand mismatch has slightly eased, supply elasticity may limit the upside space. The cost - profit situation also restricts the downside space [2]. 3. Summary by Related Catalogs 3.1 Fundamentals 3.1.1 Nickel Fundamentals - China has suspended an unofficial subsidy for importing copper and nickel from Russia, which may marginally weaken the import demand. The global refined nickel's visible inventory has returned to an increasing trend, with a weekly increase of 9,810 tons to 264,382 tons, and the market's expectation of implicit restocking has slowed down. The surplus in nickel is concentrated in the ferronickel segment, with a pattern of increasing supply and weak demand. The expected commissioning of pure nickel in the second half of the year puts pressure on prices, but the substitution of nickel plates with ferronickel in the alloy sector has increased, and the inventory accumulation trend may suppress nickel prices. The marginal improvement in non - standard nickel fundamentals shows some de - stocking, but more pure nickel needs to be re - allocated or cleared to resolve the inventory accumulation contradiction. Indonesian news may significantly weaken short - sellers' confidence, as over 148 hectares of a nickel mine in Indonesia have been taken over, affecting the monthly nickel ore output by about 600 metal tons. There are also other potential risks in Indonesia, such as the government's requirement for enterprises to resubmit the 2026 RKAB budget in October 2025, which may limit the decline in nickel ore premiums [1]. 3.1.2 Stainless Steel Fundamentals - Short - term supply and demand lack drivers. The cumulative year - on - year growth rate of demand has significantly converged compared to previous years, with the apparent demand growth rate dropping to 2.0%. The supply side experienced a "de - valuation - de - production" phase from June to July, and the year - on - year supply growth rate has also significantly converged, with the cumulative year - on - year growth rate falling to 2.4%. The reduction in production by an Indonesian steel mill has led to a 27% decline in imports, and the supply - demand mismatch has slightly eased, with the inventory centers of factories and society both decreasing. However, supply elasticity may limit the upside space, as production increased in August and is expected to continue to increase in September, with a 6% month - on - month increase to 3.45 million tons in September, and the cumulative year - on - year growth rate is expected to recover to 3.2%. The 300 - series reaches 1.81 million tons, with a cumulative year - on - year/ month - on - month increase of 4.8%/5.2%. Since the absolute inventory levels of the upstream and mid - stream in the real - world have not been digested to a neutral or low level, if the valuation is high, it may lead to expectations of supply elasticity release, and downstream procurement is cautious. In the short - term cost and profit segment, after the marginal return to the fundamental logic, combined with the de - stocking and valuation repair in the ferronickel segment and the increase in the chromium iron tender procurement price, steel mill profits have been squeezed, and the cash profits of non - leading steel mills from warehouse delivery have basically converged, so the cost - support logic also limits the imagination of the downside space [2]. 3.2 Inventory Changes - **Nickel Inventory**: China's social nickel inventory increased by 144 tons to 39,298 tons, including an increase of 1,851 tons in warehouse receipt inventory to 23,529 tons, a decrease of 737 tons in spot inventory to 11,679 tons, and a decrease of 970 tons in bonded area inventory to 4,090 tons. LME nickel inventory increased by 9,666 tons to 225,084 tons [3]. - **Ferronickel Inventory**: On September 15, the SMM ferronickel inventory was 28,652 tons, a month - on - month decrease of 14% and a year - on - year increase of 26%. The inventory pressure is high, but it is continuously easing on the margin [5]. - **Stainless Steel Inventory**: On September 18, the total social inventory of stainless steel was 987,082 tons, a week - on - week decrease of 2.51%. Among them, the total inventory of cold - rolled stainless steel was 598,806 tons, a week - on - week increase of 0.17%, and the total inventory of hot - rolled stainless steel was 388,276 tons, a week - on - week decrease of 6.38% [5]. - **Nickel Ore Inventory in Chinese Ports**: The nickel ore inventory in 14 Chinese ports increased by 139,500 wet tons to 14.0011 million wet tons, including 13.4823 million wet tons of Philippine nickel ore. Classified by nickel ore grade, there are 8.1456 million wet tons of low - nickel high - iron ore and 5.8555 million wet tons of medium - and high - grade nickel ore [5]. 3.3 Market News - Indonesia plans to shorten the mining quota period from three years to one year to improve industry governance and better control coal and ore supplies. The government - approved 2025 RKAB production is 364 million tons, higher than the 2024 target of 319 million tons [6]. - Two nickel - iron smelting industrial parks in Indonesia have suspended all EF production lines due to long - term production losses, and the shutdown is expected to affect the monthly nickel - iron output by about 1,900 metal tons [6]. - Indonesia's energy and mineral resources department requires mining and coal - mining companies to resubmit the 2026 RKAB starting from October 2025 [7]. - A steel mill in Shandong has started maintenance due to capacity limitations, with an annual production reduction target of 5%, and has temporarily suspended the delivery obligations under long - term supply agreements signed in August [7]. - The Indonesian president stated that illegal mining will be severely punished, and reports of 1,063 illegal mines have been received. The Indonesian forestry working group has taken over more than 148 hectares of a nickel mine in PT Weda Bay Nickel, accounting for 0.3% of the total mine area, and it is expected to affect the monthly nickel ore output by about 600 metal tons [8]. - China has suspended an unofficial subsidy for importing copper and nickel from Russia [1][8].

Core Insights - The trade between Guangxi and ASEAN has seen significant growth, with imports and exports reaching 2750.9 billion yuan in the first eight months of the year, marking a 12.9% year-on-year increase, accounting for 53.2% of Guangxi's total trade value during the same period [1][2] Group 1: Trade Growth - Guangxi's exports to ASEAN amounted to 2137.4 billion yuan, reflecting a 17.2% increase, while imports were 613.5 billion yuan, showing a slight increase of 0.05% [1] - The trade growth rate of Guangxi outpaced the national average by 3.2 percentage points, indicating a robust regional economic performance [2] Group 2: Product Categories - In the first eight months, Guangxi's exports of intermediate goods to ASEAN reached 1516.5 billion yuan, a 21.9% increase, making up 55.1% of the total trade value [3] - Notable growth was observed in electronic components, flat panel display modules, and automotive parts, with exports increasing by 77.6%, 75.7%, and 41.8% respectively [3] Group 3: Emerging Sectors - The cooperation between Guangxi and ASEAN in emerging sectors has deepened, particularly in artificial intelligence, with significant increases in the import and export of related equipment such as hard drives and graphics cards, which grew by 113.9% and 332.5% respectively [1][3] - The establishment of smart ports and the use of 5G technology have enhanced customs efficiency, exemplifying the digital connectivity between China and ASEAN [3]

Group 1: Industry Overview - The non-ferrous metal sector is experiencing significant activity, with various companies in the resource layout and high-end powder materials, as well as battery materials, seeing stock price increases [1] - Companies are focusing on the development of nickel resources and high-performance materials to capitalize on the growing demand in the battery sector [2] Group 2: Company Highlights - Boqian New Materials (605376.SS) achieved a 10.00% increase in stock price, reaching 48.72 yuan, and is recognized as a leading producer of high-end metal powder materials, particularly nickel powder for MLCC production [1] - Dao Technology (300409.SZ) saw an 8.84% rise in stock price to 24.02 yuan, expanding its overseas nickel resource layout and developing a high-nickel project in Indonesia with a planned annual output of 20,000 tons [1] - Changsheng Technology (300073.SZ) increased by 8.37% to 52.30 yuan, partnering with Zhongwei Co. to develop nickel resources in Indonesia, aiming for an initial production line of 60,000 tons of nickel products [2] - Dongfang Electric Heating (300217.SZ) rose 7.06% to 5.61 yuan, successfully entering the lithium battery material sector with a project producing 20,000 tons of pre-plated nickel [2] - Hanrui Cobalt (300618.SZ) increased by 6.61% to 46.30 yuan, establishing a joint venture in Indonesia to expand its presence in the new energy metal sector [2] - Xingye Silver Tin (000426.SZ) saw a 6.04% increase to 23.35 yuan, with significant nickel resource reserves of 32.84 million tons, providing a solid foundation for future expansion in the nickel industry [3]

Report Industry Investment Rating No relevant content provided. Core Viewpoints - The nickel price is expected to fluctuate within a narrow range, and it is necessary to be vigilant against multiple potential risks in the news. The stainless - steel price is in a low - level shock due to the weak supply and demand in reality [1][2]. Summary by Related Catalogs Nickel Market - **Fundamentals**: After the increase in Indonesian quotas is transmitted to the ore price, the overall decline of Indonesian nickel ore is relatively moderate, and the premium margin is temporarily stable. The cash cost of the pyrometallurgical process has decreased by about 2%. The nickel ore contradiction usually eases in the second half of the year, and the willingness of funds to speculate has decreased, which may limit the elasticity of the nickel price. The short - term inventory of the smelting end has not increased as expected, and the production schedule of ternary materials is considerable. The cost curve is still supported by the cash cost of the pyrometallurgical integration in the short term. The weak fundamentals of nickel iron have improved marginally, and the price has recovered due to the marginal decline in inventory. However, the expected production of refined nickel still exerts pressure, and the increase in low - cost integrated supply or equity resource processing supply drags down the upside of the nickel price [1]. - **Inventory**: China's refined nickel social inventory decreased by 1,371 tons to 38,566 tons. LME nickel inventory decreased by 204 tons to 209,544 tons [3]. - **Market News**: There are multiple events affecting the nickel market, such as Canada's potential halt of nickel exports to the US, the trial production of an Indonesian nickel - iron project, environmental violations in an Indonesian industrial park, Indonesia's plan to shorten the mining quota period, changes in the RKAB plan, production suspension in some Indonesian nickel - iron smelting industrial parks, and Indonesia's plan to crack down on illegal mining [6][7][9]. Stainless - Steel Market - **Fundamentals**: The cumulative year - on - year growth rates of stainless - steel supply and demand have significantly converged compared with previous years. The tariff contradiction on the demand side and the weak consumption in the post - real - estate cycle have resonated, and the apparent demand growth rate in July decreased to 2%. After the "de - valuation - de - production" stage from June to July, the supply - demand mismatch has slightly eased. The supply in August increased month - on - month by 4%, and the cumulative year - on - year growth rate dropped to 2%. The production schedule in Indonesia in August was 420,000 tons, with a year - on - year decrease of 1% and a month - on - month increase of 11%. The expected production in September has rebounded. Due to the high inventory in the upstream and mid - stream and the cautious procurement of the downstream, there is a lack of short - term upward drivers, and the long - term recovery still depends on the start of the overall macro - inventory replenishment cycle. The short - term profit margin has been compressed, and the cost logic limits the downward space [2]. - **Inventory**: On August 31, the SMM nickel - iron inventory was 29,267 tons, with a half - month - on - month decrease of 12% and a year - on - year increase of 28%. On August 28, 2025, the stainless - steel social inventory was 1,082,956 tons, with a week - on - week decrease of 0.81%. China's 14 - port nickel ore inventory increased by 539,700 wet tons to 12.5982 million wet tons [5]. - **Market News**: A Shandong steel mill has started maintenance due to capacity limitations and production reduction targets, which will reduce the supply of hot - rolled coil [8]. Futures Data The report provides weekly key data tracking for nickel and stainless - steel futures, including closing prices, trading volumes, and various price spreads and premiums [11]. Charts There are a series of charts showing the price trends, trading volumes, inventory changes, and cost - profit situations of nickel, stainless - steel, and related products [12 - 24].

Core Viewpoint - The company, Hanrui Cobalt, reported significant growth in its financial performance for the first half of 2025, with a notable increase in both revenue and net profit, indicating a recovery from previous downturns in the cobalt market [1] Financial Performance - In the first half of 2025, Hanrui Cobalt achieved an operating income of 3.168 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year growth of 23.77% [1] - The net profit for the same period was 127 million yuan, showing a substantial year-on-year increase of 102.94% [1] - The company's first quarter of 2025 saw a non-recurring net profit of 22.23 million yuan, a decline of 63.59% year-on-year, but it rebounded to 83.07 million yuan in the second quarter, demonstrating strong profit elasticity post-capacity ramp-up [1] Historical Performance - From 2023 to 2024, Hanrui Cobalt experienced a performance cycle from pressure to recovery, with a net profit of 138 million yuan in 2023, down over 34% year-on-year due to falling cobalt prices [1] - In 2024, the net profit recovered to 201 million yuan, driven by tightened supply from the extended cobalt export ban in the Democratic Republic of Congo and improved capacity utilization [1] Shareholder Activity - Significant shareholder reductions have been noted, with the controlling shareholders, Liang Jiankun and Liang Jie, having reduced their holdings since the lifting of the lock-up period in 2020, cashing out a total of 952 million yuan over three years [2][3] - In July 2025, other shareholders announced plans to reduce their holdings by up to 3% due to personal funding needs [3] Strategic Initiatives - The company provided a bank credit guarantee of up to 120 million USD for its wholly-owned subsidiary in Hong Kong, aimed at funding the construction of a nickel project in Indonesia, which is expected to generate annual revenue of 2.37 billion yuan and a gross margin of 29.2% upon its completion in March 2026 [3] - The nickel project is crucial for addressing the company's supply chain gaps in the "cobalt powder - precursor" segment and is projected to meet the demand for 400,000 electric vehicles [3] Challenges - Despite the recovery in performance, the company faces challenges, as evidenced by a decline in gross profit margin to 11.2% in the first quarter of 2025, down from 16.57% in the same period of 2024, highlighting the ongoing impact of price fluctuations in copper and cobalt on profitability [3] - The ongoing shareholder sell-offs and fluctuating gross margins reflect the vulnerabilities of resource-based companies amid cyclical market changes [3]

1. Report Industry Investment Rating - The trend rating for nickel is "oscillation" [1] 2. Core Views of the Report - The nickel industry has experienced different development stages driven by demand and supply. In the past, stainless - steel demand and later new - energy vehicle demand have respectively boosted nickel prices, while subsequent technological breakthroughs and capacity expansions have led to an oversupply situation. The industry cycle that started in 2017 may turn around in 2028, and new demand from solid - state batteries is expected to reverse the current oversupply pattern [1][2][3] 3. Summary According to the Table of Contents 3.1 Nickel Iron & Stainless Steel: A Close - knit Relationship 3.1.1 Before 2007: Stainless - steel demand drives nickel price up - From 1997 - 2007, global stainless - steel nickel consumption grew at a CAGR of about 3.3%, accounting for over 60% of nickel end - consumption. After China joined the WTO in 2001, its stainless - steel production increased rapidly, with a CAGR of 44.9% from 2000 - 2005 and 30% from 2005 - 2010. The shortage of supply led to a significant increase in nickel price and a pressing need for stainless - steel cost reduction. During this period, there were changes in the ore end and raw materials, with laterite nickel ore replacing sulfide nickel ore, and the smelting process evolving from one - step to two - step and three - step methods. Chinese enterprises also started using laterite nickel ore to smelt NPI, which became the main raw material for stainless - steel production, reducing costs [18][19][24] 3.1.2 2007 - 2015: Nickel capacity expands rapidly, and weakening stainless - steel demand causes nickel price to decline - High nickel prices attracted many domestic enterprises to produce NPI using laterite nickel ore. Since 2010, domestic nickel ore imports have increased significantly. By 2011, NPI accounted for over 50% of the primary nickel raw materials for stainless - steel production in China. However, stainless - steel demand weakened due to the global economic downturn, leading to a large accumulation of LME nickel inventory and a decline in nickel price [34][35] 3.1.3 RKEF and Oxygen - Enriched Side - Blowing Process Discussion and Cost Calculation - RKEF is the mainstream process for nickel - iron preparation, with advantages such as a short process flow, high production efficiency, and high nickel recovery rate, but it has limitations in terms of cobalt recovery and energy consumption. The oxygen - enriched side - blowing process (OESBF) is more advanced, with better raw - material applicability and lower energy consumption, and it can also recover cobalt. Cost calculations show that the cost of RKEF - produced nickel - iron is about 1333 dollars per physical ton, and the cost of OESBF - produced high - grade nickel matte is about 11,800 dollars per metal ton [38][40][50] 3.2 Intermediate Products: Technological Breakthroughs, Raw - Material Structure Shuffle 3.2.1 2018 - 2022: New - energy demand opens a second growth curve, and the smelting end breaks the binary supply - demand imbalance - With the rapid development of new - energy vehicles, the demand for ternary batteries increased, driving up the demand for nickel. The production of ternary precursors in China increased nearly four - fold from 2020 to 2022. However, the traditional "laterite nickel ore - stainless steel" and "sulfide nickel ore - nickel salt/pure nickel" binary supply - demand pattern could not meet the demand for nickel sulfate, leading to a supply - demand imbalance. Nickel beans/nickel powder were initially popular for producing nickel sulfate due to their short extraction cycle [56][57][62] 3.2.2 2023 - present: Supply - side expansion leads to an industry - wide oversupply - As the profit of producing nickel sulfate from pure nickel decreased, the HPAL process for laterite nickel ore and the production of nickel sulfate from high - grade nickel matte became mainstream. Currently, there is over 400,000 metal tons of MHP wet - process production capacity in Indonesia. The electric - deposition process has matured, leading to a rapid increase in pure - nickel production. The large - scale production of deliverable products has made it difficult to repeat the "short - squeeze" market, but the oversupply situation will continue until demand improves [70][80][84] 3.2.3 HPAL Process Discussion and Cost Calculation - HPAL has a high cobalt - recovery rate, which can significantly offset costs. The cost of HPAL - produced MHP is relatively low. After deducting the cobalt cost, the full cost of MHP is about 7732 dollars per metal ton. The investment cost of wet - process projects is expected to decrease with technological maturity, and the reduction of production cost depends on the increase in cobalt price [88][92][95] 3.3 Current Situation and Outlook of Smelting - End Capacity 3.3.1 Nickel Iron: FENI supply stabilizes after clearance, and NPI capacity reaches a phased peak - After the nickel - iron to high - grade nickel matte conversion process was established and the electric - deposition nickel capacity expanded, nickel iron became a raw material for electric - deposition nickel. However, the price change of nickel iron is difficult to be smoothly transmitted to the market. FENI has experienced production cuts due to high costs, and its supply is expected to remain stable [96][97]

Report Investment Rating - There is no information about the industry investment rating in the report. Core Views - For stainless steel, short - term factors include price increases by Indonesian and Chinese steel mills, a flat term structure, and stable raw material prices and production schedules, with a support level at 12,500 - 12,900 yuan. The future market change depends on the transfer of the main position to the 2601 contract [1]. - For沪镍, in the short - term, there is doubt about the September interest - rate cut and the recent decline with increased positions. In the long - term, it focuses on whether the anti - involution market can improve the fundamentals. The support level is 118,000 - 120,000 yuan [1]. Summary by Directory 1. Pure Nickel & Stainless Steel - **Market Trend**: The market is strengthening, and the discount range is expanding [6]. - **Inventory**: The inventory of the entire industrial chain is at a historical high. The inventory of refined nickel has been transferred overseas, and the proportion of LME nickel from Chinese brands is increasing. The stainless - steel warehouse receipts are decreasing [9][10][20]. - **Production Profit**: The overall production profit has recovered, and some steel - mill processes still have profits [12]. - **Production and Export**: Although the production in July decreased, it remained at a high historical level, and external demand was strong [16]. 2. Ferronickel - **Price**: The price of nickel ore is firm, and the high - nickel ferronickel market price is 920 - 935 yuan/nickel, up 5 yuan from last week [27]. - **Production Profit**: Overseas imported ferronickel remains at a high level. Domestic ferronickel steel mills are under pressure from upstream and downstream, with full - scale losses in immediate profits. The profit of Indonesian ferronickel has also decreased. From January to July 2025, China's total ferronickel imports were 6.393 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 1.244 million tons or 24.2% [30]. 3. Nickel Intermediate Products - **Price**: The price of nickel ore is firm, and the cost of nickel ore has weakened. The high - nickel ferronickel market price has increased [27]. - **Production Profit**: The cost of producing nickel sulfate from nickel hydroxide and nickel beans has increased, and the loss of immediate profit has intensified [38]. - **Production**: The production of nickel sulfate, Indonesian MHP, and high - ice nickel is presented in the report. - **Import Volume**: The import volumes of nickel ore, nickel sulfate, MHP, high - ice nickel, and nickel matte are shown in the report. 4. Supply - Demand Balance Sheet - **Global Stainless - Steel Production**: The report provides data on China's and Indonesia's stainless - steel production, capacity, import, export, and apparent consumption from 2018 to 2024, as well as global stainless - steel production [50]. - **China's Primary Nickel Supply**: Data on China's primary nickel supply, including pure nickel production, net import, ferronickel production, net import, nickel - sulfate production, net import, and nickel - intermediate product net import, are given [50].