EUROPEAN MORNING BRIEF 24/11: SHFE copper prices supported; Chile’s presidential candidates lay out mining sector plans; Codelco copper output dips

Good morning from Metal Bulletin’s office in Shanghai, as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Friday November 24.

Copper prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange pushed higher during Asian morning trading on Friday, as the red metal continued to be supported by industrial action in Latin America.

Meanwhile the rest of the base metals complex was broadly higher, benefiting from a weaker dollar in the aftermath of the US Federal Reserve’s more dovish than expected November meeting minutes.

Check Metal Bulletin’s live futures report here.

LME snapshot at 02.32am London time
Latest three-month LME Prices
  Price
($ per tonne)
 Change since yesterday’s close
($)
Copper 6,971 8
Aluminium 2,109 -4
Lead 2,462.50 8.5
Zinc 3,234 -4.5
Tin 19,415 15
Nickel 11,945 15

SHFE snapshot at 10.33am Shanghai time
Most-traded SHFE contracts
  Price
(yuan per tonne)
 Change since yesterday’s close
(yuan)
Copper  54,090 240
Aluminium 14,995 -10
Zinc 25,490 -60
Lead 18,465 165
Tin  141,970 270
Nickel  95,770 1,550

As Chile, the world’s largest copper producer, heads to the polls to elect a new president on December 17, we take a look at what the candidates have planned for the country’s mining industry.

Codelco’s mined copper production edged lower in the first nine months of 2017 due to declining ore grades, but the miner’s profits rose significantly during the period, benefiting from higher prices for the metal.

Escondida copper mine has laid off about 120 workers following a review of its operations, a decision that has been strongly criticized by its main trade union and could complicate next year’s labor negotiations.

China’s domestic stainless steel prices narrowed downward over the past week in thin trading.

What to read next
Fastmarkets has corrected the pricing rationale for MB-AL-0302 aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premium, ddp North Germany (Ruhr region), $/tonne, which was published incorrectly on Friday April 19. No prices were corrected.
The low-carbon aluminium differential in the US made its first move on Friday April 5 since Fastmarkets launched it five months ago.
Brazil's aluminium industry is further enhancing its sustainability by boosting renewable energy use and recycling, while mitigating risk from high-carbon imports
German copper producer Aurubis is among the least likely to consider reducing capacity despite record low treatment charges (TCs), according to its chief executive officer
European copper demand, particularly for wire rod, remains strong and seems to be outpacing broader macro-economic growth in the region, the chief executive officer of German producer Aurubis has said.
The process to place the smaller and less efficient of the two processing plants at Los Bronces on care and maintenance is expected to be completed by mid-2024 and comes as the company pushes value over volume, the chief executive officer of Anglo American Chile said