According to the commodity market analysis system of Business Society, the domestic light rare earth market prices have been rising since January. On January 12, the Business Society rare earth index stood at 552 points, an increase of 6 points from the previous day. Compared to the cycle's highest point of 1007 points (February 24, 2022), it has decreased by 45.18%, while it has increased by 103.69% from the lowest point of 271 points on September 13, 2015. (Note: The cycle refers to the period from December 1, 2011, to the present.)

Domestic prices for neodymium oxide, neodymium metal, praseodymium oxide, praseodymium metal, praseodymium-neodymium alloy, and praseodymium-neodymium oxide have all shown an upward trend. As of the 13th, the price of neodymium oxide was 667,500 yuan per ton, representing a 5.53% increase since January. The price of neodymium metal was 805,000 yuan per ton, up by 5.23%. Praseodymium oxide was priced at 637,500 yuan per ton, with a 7.59% increase. Praseodymium metal stood at 797,500 yuan per ton, rising by 4.25%. The praseodymium-neodymium alloy was priced at 785,000 yuan per ton, up by 6.44%, while praseodymium-neodymium oxide was priced at 647,500 yuan per ton, showing a 6.15% increase.

Recently, domestic light rare earth market prices have been rising, with strong bullish sentiment in the raw material market. Macro-level news suggests a tightening supply-demand balance for praseodymium-neodymium products, further fueling market expectations of price increases. The booming downstream industries, such as new energy vehicles and home appliances, have led to increased orders for magnetic material manufacturers. However, the demand from magnetic material enterprises is insufficient to support such high metal prices, resulting in poor actual transaction performance. After years of regulation, China's rare earth industry has gradually formed a supply structure dominated by large groups with relatively concentrated raw materials. With the continuous development of the global rare earth industry, China's share of rare earth production has declined from 90% to 70%, which has brought certain benefits to the domestic rare earth market.

Future market outlook: Recently, magnetic material enterprises have shown weak sentiment in ordering and procurement, and the supply-demand dynamics in the light rare earth market continue to be contested. The imbalance in the supply and demand of praseodymium-neodymium series products is becoming apparent. In the long term, the trend of increasing terminal demand from industrial robots, new energy vehicles, wind turbines, and other sectors remains unchanged. The penetration rate of high-performance neodymium iron boron permanent magnets in end-use applications is expected to continue rising. In the short term, amid the stalemate between upstream and downstream players, the light rare earth market is expected to maintain a state of high volatility.