Spot Market Hesitation Intensifies: DRAM Sellers Hold Back, DDR4 Prices Dip Slightly, NAND Downtrend Continues

The spot market for memory chips is overall stuck in a deadlock. Suppliers are waiting for the official announcement of contract prices in mid-April, while buyers continue to compress procurement due to weak end-user demand. The combination of multiple factors has led to persistently low trading activity, with both DRAM and NAND spot prices under pressure. According to the latest spot price tracking report from TrendForce, the average spot price for mainstream DRAM chips DDR4 1Gx8 3200MT/s fell slightly by 0.48% this week, dropping from $33.56 last week (April 8) to $33.40 this week (April 14). Regarding NAND flash, the spot price for 512Gb TLC wafers widened its decline to 3.13% this week (April 13). The trends in both sub-segments point to the same underlying issue: insufficient momentum in end-user consumer demand recovery. Both buyers and sellers are reluctant to break the deadlock first, resulting in a continued contraction in trading volume. DRAM: Sellers Hold Back to Await Higher Prices, Buyers Refuse to Build Inventory at High Levels This week, the DRAM spot market was significantly affected by end-of-quarter effects and holiday factors, leading to a noticeably lighter trading atmosphere. On the supply side, the overall strategy remains conservative. Most spot sellers have chosen to hold their positions, waiting for the official contract pricing to be released by DRAM manufacturers in mid-April as a reference for adjusting their quotes. Only a few sellers reduced their quotes sporadically due to capital turnover pressures, but this failed to effectively stimulate market demand. On the demand side, there is also a lack of proactive willingness. The recovery in end-user consumer demand is insufficient, and purchasers are strictly controlling costs, generally refusing to stock up at high current price levels, leading to passive performance on the demand side and a continued contraction in trading volume. NAND: Sellers Cut Prices Under Capital Pressure, Prices Continue to Fall The NAND flash spot market continued last week's pattern this week, with overall trading remaining cautious. Buyers remain constrained by high price levels, with most adopting a wait-and-see attitude and showing limited willingness to enter the market. On one hand, sellers hope that rising contract prices will improve the market situation; on the other hand, some sellers, under capital pressure, chose to compromise and cut prices to complete transactions, but the overall market momentum did not show significant improvement. The spot price for 512Gb TLC wafers fell by 3.13% this week, reflecting that in the absence of clear directional guidance from both supply and demand sides, NAND spot prices still face downward pressure. Short-Term Outlook: Contract Pricing Window Approaches, Market Awaits Directional Signals Based on the performance of both markets, the official announcement of DRAM manufacturer contract prices in mid-April will become a key variable influencing the direction of the spot market in the short term. If contract prices rise as sellers expect, it may help boost market confidence and push buyers and sellers to restart negotiations; conversely, if pricing falls below expectations, it could further exacerbate selling pressure in the spot market. Before the official pricing is finalized, the wait-and-see sentiment between buyers and sellers is expected to continue dominating the market, making it unlikely for trading volumes to see substantial recovery.