1. Data from the Shanghai Shipping Exchange shows that as of April 17, the Shanghai Export Container Freight Index (composite index) was 1886.54 points, down 4.23 points compared to the previous period. The China Export Container Freight Index was 1211.08 points, up 0.1% compared to the previous period.
2. The National Climate Center responded that it is expected to enter an El Niño state in May, forming a moderate to strong El Niño event in the summer and autumn, which is expected to last at least until the end of this year.
3. According to Mysteel, major steel mills in Tangshan plan to raise prices for wet-quenched coke by 50 yuan/ton and dry-quenched coke by 55 yuan/ton, effective at midnight on April 20, 2026. Some steel mills in Xingtai have also raised prices for wet-quenched coke by 50 yuan/ton and dry-quenched coke by 55 yuan/ton, effective at midnight on April 20, 2026.
4. Vale's total iron ore production in the first quarter of 2026 was 69.7 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 3% (2 million tons). Copper production totaled 102,300 tons, a year-on-year increase of 13% (11,400 tons). Nickel production totaled 49,300 tons, a year-on-year increase of 12% (5,400 tons).
5. On April 17, Han Jun, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, chaired a symposium on the development of the pig industry. The meeting emphasized the need to effectively regulate pig production capacity, stabilize market expectations, promote a reasonable price recovery, and foster high-quality development of the pig industry. It stressed the need to further improve policies for comprehensive regulation of pig production capacity and take strong and effective measures to promote a reasonable recovery in pork prices.
6. According to statistics from the Lithium Industry Branch of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, in March, national lithium carbonate production was approximately 87,000 tons, a month-on-month increase of 10.7%; national lithium hydroxide production was approximately 30,000 tons, a month-on-month increase of 7.5%. National lithium salt production, converted to lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE), was approximately 113,000 tons, a month-on-month increase of 9.9%. 7. Trade sources indicate that Indian banks have suspended orders for gold and silver from overseas suppliers due to the government's lack of formal authorization for precious metal imports, resulting in large quantities of precious metals being held up at customs. Without new imports, India may face supply shortages.
8. According to the Shanghai Futures Exchange, copper inventories decreased by 26,028 tons last week, aluminum inventories increased by 4,022 tons, zinc inventories increased by 1,153 tons, lead inventories increased by 4,441 tons, nickel inventories increased by 1,801 tons, and tin inventories decreased by 277 tons.
9. According to SMM, lithium iron phosphate prices continue their upward adjustment. On the production side, due to continued fluctuations in raw material prices, some lithium iron phosphate producers intend to reduce production, while integrated enterprises have seen an increase in output. Downstream orders remain strong in April, with orders continuing to increase by approximately 4% or more.
