The Chinese silicon export price dropped on weakening demand from Japanese automakers with some domestic production to resume by mid-June, while European prices followed the Chinese market down.
The Chinese grade-553 silicon export price widened downward 0.8% to $1,810-1,900 per tonne on Friday June 1 from $1,840-1,900 per tonne on May 25.Although Japanese traders, the largest buyers of Chinese silicon metal, started third-quarter procurement two weeks ago, their buying appetite has weakened in comparison to the same time last year, according to market participants."A large consumer from Japan has almost finalized their procurement for the third quarter, however, we found the company didn't purchase as much as they used to," the first trader from China said.Reduced demand from Japanese secondary aluminium refineries has been mainly attributed to the weak performance of the automobile sector in Japan, Metal Bulletin understands."The Japanese automobile sector did not perform well in the...