1. According to data from the Shanghai Shipping Exchange, as of January 23, the Shanghai Export Containerized Freight Index (Comprehensive Index) was 1457.86 points, down 116.26 points compared to the previous period. The China Export Containerized Freight Index was 1208.75 points, down 0.1% compared to the previous period.
2. Data from the World Steel Association shows that in December 2025, global crude steel production was 139.6 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 3.7%; from January to December 2025, global crude steel production was 1.8038 billion tons, a year-on-year decrease of 2%.
3. The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) will launch an official reference price for unsalted edible oil (UCO) in the first quarter of 2026.
4. According to Mysteel research, as of January 22, imported cotton inventory at major ports increased by 6.31% week-on-week, with total inventory at 475,200 tons. Of this, 411,000 tons were in Qingdao and Jinan ports and surrounding warehouses in Shandong province, a year-on-year decrease of 7.35%. 5. The Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) issued a notice that, effective from the closing settlement on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, the daily price limits and margin requirements will be adjusted as follows: the daily price limit for listed nickel futures contracts will be adjusted to 10%, the margin requirement for hedging positions will be adjusted to 11%, and the margin requirement for general positions will be adjusted to 12%.
6. A recent report from the World Silver Institute indicates that global industrial demand for silver will continue to grow over the next five years due to surging demand in sectors such as photovoltaics, AI, and electric vehicles.
7. According to the SHFE, nickel inventories increased by 2,614 tons last week, zinc inventories decreased by 3,160 tons, copper inventories increased by 12,422 tons, tin inventories increased by 171 tons, and aluminum inventories increased by 11,174 tons.
8. According to foreign media reports, Sigma Lithium announced on its website on January 23 that it sold 100,000 tons of high-purity lithium ore concentrate with a lithium oxide content of 1% at a price of $140 per ton, exceeding its previous selling price. 9. According to Wind data, as of the week ending January 23, the profit of self-bred and self-raised pigs was 43.35 yuan/head, compared with 7.39 yuan/head the previous week, while the profit of raising piglets purchased from outside sources was 115.84 yuan/head, compared with 48.35 yuan/head the previous week.
