Tungsten prices go up again

Aug. 12, 2011 - PRLog -- The current situation that the price of tungsten concentrates regains an upward trend since July after 5-6 months of adjustment. Tungsten price return to the high point of 157,000 Yuan/ton at the beginning of August, 40.9% higher than the beginning of the year. Average price in 2011 goes 136,000 Yuan/ton from January to July,56.8% higher compared with average price in 2010. Due to tungsten supply shortage, tungsten supply and demand in the third quarter is still difficult to ease the tension, factors that increase tungsten price remains, and push forward the industry links.
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Supply side: tightening policy is still harping on.

In rare metals field, which stands representative of “China advantage”, changes of resource advantage into pricing advantage has appear to begin. As "China advantage Metal”, like been expected in our previous report , the domestic tungsten mining will become more moderate and orderly.
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Since the beginning of March, Hunan, Jiangxi provinces which accounted for about 70% of the tungsten mineral in China, have taken environmental remediation actions to force some of mine to shutdown, especially in the region of Ganzhou.  In may, according to files  which was issued by provincial government, it has decided to carry out special rectification activities in the province from May 2011 to May 2012, trying to crack down on undocumented mining of tungsten ore, random digging and mining, ultra-deep cross-border crimes. Thus, mining and supply will be sustainably effected.

Restrained by mining quotas and policy of fighting against various types of illegal mining, in the first half of 2010, domestic production of tungsten concentrates was 52,000 tons, 3.9% higher than the same period of last year (Table 1).

Demand side: the terminal consumption maintain rapid growth

Nonferrous Metals Industry Association statistics shows that in the first quarter the country cemented carbide production was 5400 tons, an increase of 22%; Thereinto, cemented carbide exported 1006 tons, up 10% by comparison; cemented carbide of deep-processed products produced 1084 tons, an increase of 46% by comparison. Key enterprises in cemented carbide industry gained income of 4.2 billion Yuan in their main business, 41% up by comparison; gainning profit of 253 million Yuan, an increase of 101% by comparison. In the second quarters, hard alloy production continues to grow. Preliminary statistics of carbide production in the first half of year achieve 20% increase by comparison.

Current domestic tungsten industry intends to invest more on deep processing area. Two major projects in the first half of the year:
1, 4000 tons/year cooperation project between Xiamen tungsten and China minmetals;
2, Germany company H.C.Starck and Jiangxi Tungsten Group's cooperative projects, aim at annual production capacity of 30,000 tons of tungsten products deep-processing. Along with these projects coming on stream, it will significantly boost demand for tungsten ore.

The cost side: Cost of tungsten concentrates soared in the context of inflation and the environmental protection.

Production costs of tungsten concentrates includes labor costs, processing costs, tax costs (17% VAT, 2% the compensation fee, resource tax, land reclamation, etc.) and environmental security costs etc. With labor, environmental and other costs continue to rise, costs in some tungsten mining area have increased to 90,000 Yuan / ton. According to statistics, Ganzhou region APT production costs (from the tungsten to APT) is raised to 14,500 Yuan or so, the particles of tungsten powder (APT to tungsten powder) cost of production of 2.5 Yuan / ton, coarse or fine powder of 30,000 Yuan / ton.

Soaring costs is another important factor for the price of tungsten concentrates rising.

Xiamen Tungsten Group is still our first choice. We consider the distributed profits in tungsten industry chain lies at both ends: the scarcity of mineral resources of tungsten and manufacturing of high-end carbide tools, Xiamen Tungsten Group has established advantages in both ends of the resources and technology. And it will enhance its share in the reserves and mineral resources of tungsten, significantly expand its production capacity of cemented carbide through cooperation with China minmetal on Jiujiang Project. To consolidate its progress leading position and to make its strategic development plan consistent with the distribution of profits are our first choice in investment of tungsten industry.
(Visit http://www.chtitanium.com/ for details)

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