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A brief overview of tellurium price developments, supply and demand and significant market movers.
After months of falling refined tellurium prices, both Chinese and European prices have begun to show signs of resurgence.
Traders in China have seen a renewed interest in the metal, and end-user demand has been on the rise since the beginning of September.
Shanghai traders saw prices for 99.99 percent EXW metal range-bound between 1,000 and 1,050 RMB/kg, up from September’s average of 887.50 to 937.50 RMB/kg.
Prices for 99.99 percent IWH Rotterdam tellurium also traded higher to start the month, in a range of US$115 to 155/kg, up from its summer lows, but still down from the beginning of the year when it traded between US$220 and 300/kg.
While tellurium suppliers are happy to see any price rise after prices fell by more than half since last September, Metal Pages reported that investment activity, rather than end-user demand, is central to the recent price rise.
“Investors are buying material and planning to raise prices, but actual demand from end users has not improved much,” a market participant told Metal Pages.