Trader Gerald Metals shifts focus to London, Shanghai in global restructure

Gerald Metals is restructuring its Asian and European trading teams by moving staff to London and Shanghai trading hubs, group head of finance Jean Baudois told Metal Bulletin.

Stamford, Connecticut-headquartered Gerald operates globally from several large offices. Following the restructure, some staff in Singapore will move to Shanghai or London, while front office staff in Morges, Switzerland, will move to London. Both offices are downsizing but will remain open.

“The group is growing and we are reorganising our footprint; in Asia we are concentrating our forces in Shanghai and in Switzerland the same. We have offices in Morges, Switzerland, and today London is supposed to become the main trading centre of the group,” Baudois said.

Gerald’s Asian operations are focused on trading refined copper and copper concentrates. Moving the team to Shanghai means they will be situated in the world’s largest consumer of the metal: China.

No Asia-based staff have left the company as a result of the restructure, while several traders have already relocated from Morges to London, Baudois said.

Founded in 1962 as a base metals trader, Gerald bought the metals trading arm of Reuben Brothers Resources Group in 2014.

[This article was updated on Tuesday July 18 at 14:51 London time to include additional information that both Singapore and Morges offices are downsizing but will remain open.]

What to read next
The US aluminium industry is experiencing challenges related to tariffs, which have contributed to higher prices and premiums, raising questions about potential impacts on demand. Alcoa's CEO has noted that sustained high prices could affect the domestic market. While trade agreements might provide some relief, analysts expect premiums to remain elevated in the near term. However, aluminum demand is projected to grow over the long term, supported by the energy transition and clean energy projects. To meet this demand, the industry will need to increase production, restart idle smelters and address factors such as electricity costs and global competition.
Read Fastmarkets' monthly base metals market for May 2025 focusing on raw materials including copper, nickel aluminium, lead, zinc and tin.
The Mexico Metals Outlook 2025 conference explored challenges and opportunities in the steel, aluminum and scrap markets, focusing on tariffs, nearshoring, capacity growth and global trends.
China has launched a coordinated crackdown on the illegal export of strategic minerals under export control, such as antimony, gallium, germanium, tungsten and rare earths, the country’s Ministry of Commerce announced on Friday May 9.
Fastmarkets proposes to amend the frequency of Taiwan base metals prices from biweekly to monthly, and the delivery timing for the tin 99.99% ingot premium from two weeks to four weeks.
The US-China trade truce announced on May 12 has brought cautious optimism to China’s non-ferrous metals markets, signaling a possible shift in global trade. Starting May 14, the removal of additional tariffs has impacted sectors like battery raw materials, minor metals and base metals such as zinc and nickel, with mixed reactions. While the improved sentiment has lifted futures prices and trade activity, the long-term effects remain unclear due to challenges like supply-demand pressures and export controls.