EUROPEAN MORNING BRIEF 21/05: China lead import window opens; Sterlite copper smelter outage extended; battery-grade lithium hydroxide spot prices under pressure

Good morning from Metal Bulletin’s offices in Asia, bringing the latest news and pricing stories on Monday May 21.

Nickel prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell during Asian morning trading on Monday amid a stronger dollar, but the outlook for the metal remains positive owing to strong fundamentals.

Check Metal Bulletin’s live futures report here.

LME snapshot at 02.28am London time
Latest three-month LME Prices
  Price ($ per tonne) Change since Friday’s close ($)
Copper 6,866.50 11.5
Aluminium 2,255.50 -14.5
Lead 2,351 21
Zinc 3,107.50 8
Tin 20,715 -65
Nickel 14,545 -205
SHFE snapshot at 09.29am Shanghai time
Most-traded SHFE contracts
  Price (yuan per tonne) Change since Friday’s close (yuan)
Copper (June) 51,390 100
Aluminium (June) 14,795 -45
Zinc (June) 23,975 250
Lead (June) 19,770 105
Tin  (July) 145,780 780
Nickel  (September) 108,530 -1,710

Lead is starting to be imported into China at a profit after shorts drove down international market prices far enough to trigger an arbitrage.

Sterlite’s refined copper smelter, Tuticorin, will remain closed for another 20 days after the local court adjourned the next hearing on Sterlite’s appeal against a decision not to renew consent of the smelter operation, Metal Bulletin understands.

Global battery-grade lithium hydroxide spot prices fell last week, influenced by the recent softer lithium carbonate markets as well as consumer expectations for lower prices.

Chinese ferro-chrome prices have rebounded amid strong ore prices, together with concerns towards potential supply cuts to major ferro-chrome production hubs following environmental inspections. Click here to get a brief roundup of the global chrome market.

Mark Teroerde has resigned from his role at Switzerland-based trading house Telf as a head of sales of ferro-alloys; his responsibilities have been taken on by David Kramer, who widens his existing portfolio at Telf covering refined ferro-alloys.

Weaker demand teased out cheaper lithium hydroxide offers, and European cobalt prices fell on cheap materials and stagnant buying activities. Check Metal Bulletin’s latest weekly Battery Raw Materials Report here.

What to read next
The publication of Fastmarkets’ European aluminium billet premiums assessments for Friday February 6 was delayed because of a procedural error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated.
Glencore’s share price fell sharply on Thursday February 5 after Rio Tinto confirmed it was no longer pursuing a potential merger, ending weeks of speculation about a combination that would have created one of the world’s largest mining companies.
The proposal to increase the publication frequency from monthly to weekly comes amid increased volatility of copper on the London Metal Exchange, while copper scrap discounts have been shifting on a more regular basis. This more frequent assessment will enable Fastmarkets to reflect market dynamics in a timelier manner, as well as capture more spot […]
Fastmarkets has corrected its assessments for Shanghai bonded nickel stocks on January 30.
Fastmarkets has corrected the rationale for its MB-AL-0346 Aluminium P1020A premium, in-whs dup Rotterdam, $/tonne that was published incorrectly on Thursday January 29.
Fastmarkets has corrected the rationale for its MB-AL-0299 aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premium, ddp Spain that was published incorrectly on Friday January 23.