Global metals markets saw sharp daily percent swings today. Silver led the losses, falling 3.13% to 69.07 USD per troy ounce. Gold followed, dropping 1.82% to 4,446.67 USD per troy ounce. Platinum also slid 3.80% to 1,852.70 USD per troy ounce. These declines mark continued short-term pressure on precious metals, even as year-to-date gains remain strong. Gold is still up 3.01% since the start of the year and 45.63% compared with last year. Silver’s year-to-date figure is slightly negative at -3.02%, but it has doubled over the last 12 months, rising 100.74%.
Industrial metals see mixed percentage changes
Copper lost 0.63% to 5.49 USD per pound, while steel in China fell only 0.10% to 3,128 CNY per ton. HRC steel in the US dipped 0.09% to 1,062.03 USD per ton, but remains up 13.27% year to date. Iron ore in China rose 1.30% to 817 CNY per ton, and US iron ore gained 0.08% to 106.02 USD per ton. Silicon prices in China dipped slightly by 0.17% to 8,685 CNY per ton but remain higher than monthly levels. Scrap steel stood out with a daily gain of 2.28% to 403 USD per ton, reflecting strong demand in construction and manufacturing sectors.
Lithium surges while other speciality metals show stability
Lithium was the biggest gainer among specialty metals, climbing 2.62% to 156,500 CNY per ton. Monthly losses remain at -9.01%, but year-to-date growth is robust at 32.07%, and lithium has more than doubled compared with last year, up 110.63%. Titanium remained stable at 46.50 CNY per kg, showing no daily change, and small gains are visible over the month at 2.20%.
Overall, today’s percent changes highlight a mixed metals market.
Precious metals are facing short-term selling pressure, industrial metals are mostly stable with selective gains, and lithium continues to attract strong interest. Year-to-date and yearly gains show that long-term demand remains solid, especially for battery metals like lithium and industrial staples such as steel and copper.