1. According to Mysteel, a major ferrosilicon plant in Gansu Province has partially shut down its furnaces for maintenance due to high costs. This shutdown involves four 12500kVA submerged arc furnaces, affecting the daily output of 72% ferrosilicon by approximately 130-140 tons. There is no definite resumption date yet.
2. The resumption of production at coking coal mines in Shanxi Province continues. As of October 26, 44 coal mines remained shut down, a decrease of 4 from the previous week; capacity was 43.9 million tons, a decrease of 9.15 million tons from the previous week. Resumption accelerated in October, with the number of shutdowns in all counties and cities except Qinyuan dropping to single digits. Some coal mines in Lüliang suspended production to meet monthly production targets and are expected to fully resume production in early November.
3. According to data released by the Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA), Malaysian palm oil production from October 1-20 increased by 6% compared to the same period last month. Production in Peninsular Malaysia increased by 1.94%, East Malaysia by 11.81%, Sabah by 12.45%, and Sarawak by 10.38%.
4. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its weekly crop progress report early Tuesday morning, showing that as of the week ending October 25, the U.S. soybean harvest was 79% complete, as expected by the market, down from 64% the previous week, and the five-year average of 77%. The U.S. corn harvest was 60% complete, compared to market expectations of 59%, down from 44% the previous week, and the five-year average of 66%; the good-to-excellent rating was 56%, as expected by the market, unchanged from the previous week, and 0% at the same time last year.
5. According to data from Longzhong Information, this week, the total inventory of domestic soda ash manufacturers was 1.3689 million tons, a decrease of 102,100 tons from last Thursday, a drop of 6.94%. 6. The International Aluminium Institute (IAI): Global alumina production in September 2026 was 13.194 million tons, compared to 12.978 million tons in the same period last year, with the previous month's figure revised to 13.178 million tons. China's alumina production in September is projected to be 8.07 million tons, with the previous month's figure revised to 8.01 million tons.
7. Russia's Novonickel said on Monday that a planned major furnace overhaul could reduce its key metal production in 2027-2028, while reiterating its 2026 production forecast. Novonickel stated that it will begin a nine-month overhaul next year on a key flash smelting unit in its Nadezhda plant's nickel production chain.
