Metal Bulletin’s editor Alex Harrison looks back over the main stories of the week.
Spot copper treatment and refining charges indexed by Metal Bulletin dropped in the second half of October on strong trade bids for material. Read the full report here, which includes an outlook on annual settlement.
Copper stocks in the London Metal Exchange’s Asian warehouses rose sharply in October. Find out more here.
Somebody Owns a Lot of Copper: a bit of a demolition job on a story about positions in the copper market is here. Worth a read.
Large copper producer Freeport-McMoran expects lower 2014 sales than forecast.
The official cash-to-three-month backwardation on aluminium moved into a backwardation on October 30 for the first time since August. The spread was offered at a backwardation of $18/27 on the afternoon of October 31. Catch up with the market here.
Aluminium’s penetration of the auto sector has been one of the themes of 2014. Aluminium product producer Sapa’s ceo Svein Tore Holsether told Metal Bulletin that the light metal also has big advantages in the construction sector. Read the full interview here.
Why did exports of aluminium products climb to a three-year high in September? Metal Bulletin’s team in Asia covered the story.
And why has trading company Trafigura built a 10% stake in zinc producer Nyrstar?
Metal Bulletin hosted its fourth Asian bauxite and alumina conference in Singapore this week. The key points are here.
A large trading firm hired ex-Newedge and Jefferies broker Mike Frawley and announced it was applying for category II membership of the LME.
Metal Bulletin is seeking feedback on proposals for its European APT price.
And has completed the review of its low-phosphorous ferro-chrome price.
Alex Harrison
aharrison@metalbulletin.com
Twitter: @alexharrison_mb
