EUROPEAN MORNING BRIEF 27/03: SHFE base metals prices rebound; FMG revises iron ore price guidance; US aluminium extrusion shipments up

Good morning from Metal Bulletin’s office in Shanghai as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Tuesday March 27.

Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange rebounded during Asian morning trading on Tuesday, buoyed by a weaker dollar and an improvement in risk appetite after fears of an escalation in tensions between the United States and China receded.

Check Metal Bulletin’s live futures report here.

LME snapshot at 03.30am London time
Latest three-month LME Prices
  Price ($ per tonne)  Change since yesterday’s close ($)
Copper 6,686.50 84.5
Aluminium 2,061.50 9.5
Lead 2,394.50 7.5
Zinc 3,285.50 25
Tin 20,870 10
Nickel 13,095 140
SHFE snapshot at 10.30am Shanghai time
Most-traded SHFE contracts
  Price (yuan per tonne)  Change since yesterday’s close (yuan)
Copper  49,660 660
Aluminium 13,840 125
Zinc 24,960 320
Lead 18,585 180
Tin  142,360 100
Nickel  97,470 1,110

Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) has revised its guidance for the prices it expects to realize for iron ore sold in the year ending June 30 amid subdued Chinese demand and trade tensions.

The US’ aluminium extrusion shipments rose year on year through February, validating claims by billet market participants that extrusion market demand strengthened in the start of this year.

Market participants have said that a credit squeeze in India will lead cadmium prices to stabilize at current levels.

Antofagasta’s Los Pelambres mine in Chile has reached an agreement with unionized workers for a new collective bargaining agreement, putting an end to the threat of strike action.

Meanwhile, union workers at the Escondida copper mine in Chile have accepted an invitation to begin early talks with management on a new collective bargaining agreement.

What to read next
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.
The publication of Fastmarkets’ assessments of Shanghai bonded aluminium, zinc and nickel stocks for April 30 were delayed because of a reporter error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated. The data effective for April 30 was published on May 7 as a result. The following assessments were affected:Shanghai aluminium bonded stocksShanghai zinc bonded stocksShanghai nickel […]
Global physical copper cathodes premiums were mixed in the week to Tuesday April 15, with US market moving down, Europe rising and Asia holding largely steady.