Yieh United Steel Corp (Yusco), Taiwan's largest stainless steel producer, has decided to hike its list prices of 300-series stainless steel further for local sales in September given higher production costs and an expected recovery in downstream demand, according to a market source in Taiwan.

China's crude stainless steel output declined slightly in July, with the total volume easing by 0.6% on month to reach 3.63 million tonnes, according to the latest data released by the Stainless Steel Council of China Iron and Steel Association (CSSC).

A wave of backlogged nickel pig iron (NPI) shipments is set to hit the Chinese market this month. The country's total imports of the ferroalloy are expected to surge to around 800,000 tonnes, marking a sharp on-month rebound, Mysteel Global notes.

Recently, market rumours circulated that a major Indonesian nickel mining company had been granted an additional RKAB quota of 25 million wet metric tonnes of nickel ore, with market expectations suggesting that the company's full-year 2026 quota could rise from 12 million to approximately 37 millio

Nickel pig iron production in China and Indonesia is forecast to increase this month, driven by the resumption of operations at several smelting projects and expectations of improved nickel ore availability, according to the most recent Mysteel survey results.