Amendment to frequency of LME base metals warrant premium assessments

Fastmarkets has amended the frequency of its assessments of London Metal Exchange base metals warrant premiums to fortnightly from weekly

This follows a consultation period which started on Wednesday May 11 and ended on Wednesday June 8.

The amendment means the next publication of warrant premium assessments will take place on Wednesday June 22 and once every two weeks from then on.

Liquidity in warrant trades has been declining recently due to low stock levels at LME warehouses, with some locations not regularly active.

LME warrants are bearer documents of title, of a specified brand, of a specified lot of metal in a specified location and in a warehouse registered with the LME. Fastmarkets assesses premiums for locations globally and for six non-ferrous base metals (copper, aluminium, nickel, zinc, lead and tin).

The premium assessments affected are:
MB-AL-0333 Aluminium P1020A warrant premium, in-whs Southeast Asia, $ per tonne
MB-AL-0334 Aluminium P1020A, warrant premium, in-whs East Asia, $ per tonne
MB-AL-0338 Aluminium P1020A warrant premium, in-whs US, $ per tonne
MB-CU-0377 Copper grade A cathode warrant premium, in-whs US, $ per tonne
MB-CU-0397 Copper grade A cathode warrant premium, in-whs Southeast Asia, $ per tonne
MB-CU-0398 Copper grade A cathode warrant premium, in-whs East Asia, $ per tonne
MB-CU-0400 Copper grade A cathode warrant premium, in-whs North Europe, $ per tonne
MB-CU-0401 Copper grade A cathode warrant premium, in-whs South Europe, $ per tonne
MB-NI-0137 Nickel min 99.8% full plate warrant premium, in-whs Southeast Asia, $ per tonne
MB-NI-0138 Nickel min 99.8% briquette warrant premium, in-whs Southeast Asia, $ per tonne
MB-NI-0139 Nickel min 99.8% full plate warrant premium, in-whs East Asia, $ per tonne
MB-NI-0140 Nickel min 99.8% briquette warrant premium, in-whs East Asia, $ per tonne
MB-NI-0141 Nickel min 99.8% warrant premium, in-whs North Europe, $ per tonne
MB-PB-0097 Lead 99.97% ingot warrant premium, in-whs US, $ per tonne
MB-PB-0105 Lead min 99.97% ingot warrant premium, in-whs Southeast Asia, $ per tonne
MB-PB-0106 Lead min 99.97% ingot warrant premium, in-whs East Asia, $ per tonne
MB-PB-0109 Lead 99.97% ingot warrant premium, in-whs North Europe, $ per tonne
MB-PB-0110 Lead 99.97% ingot warrant premium, in-whs South Europe, $ per tonne
MB-SN-0042 Tin min 99.85% ingot warrant premium, in-whs South East Asia, $ per tonne
MB-ZN-0104 Zinc SHG min 99.995% warrant premium, in-whs US, $ per per tonne
MB-ZN-0117 Zinc SHG min 99.995% warrant premium, in-whs North Europe, $ per tonne
MB-ZN-0123 Zinc SHG min 99.995% warrant premium, in-whs Southeast Asia, $ per tonne

If you would like to provide price information by becoming a data submitter to any of the warrants premiums, please contact Alice Mason by email at: pricing@fastmarkets.com. Please add the subject heading ‘FAO: Alice Mason/Callum Perry, re: LME warrants premiums.’

To see all Fastmarkets’ pricing methodology and specification documents, go to: https://www.fastmarkets.com/about-us/methodology

What to read next
Over a decade since its first attempt, Glencore appears to have taken another tilt at Rio Tinto.
Fastmarkets will not publish any price assessments for US animal fats and oils; animal proteins; biomass-based diesel; hide and leather; grain and feed ingredients; organic/non-GMO; and vegetable oils on Monday January 20 due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in the US and the consequent closure for the day of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
Fastmarkets proposes to discontinue its MB-NI-0141 nickel min 99.8% warrant premium, in-whs North Europe, price assessment.
Fastmarkets proposes to launch two price assessments for nickel warrant premiums for the European market.
Participants in the market for copper scrap and blister in China, the world’s largest importer of copper raw materials, expect there to be fiercer competition for material in 2025, industry sources told Fastmarkets in the week to Thursday January 9.
Africa’s first transcontinental rail network, known as the Lobito Corridor, which aims to eventually connect almost the entire regional copper-cobalt belt with additional links across sub-Saharan Africa, is on track to break ground early in 2026, a senior official at the US Department of State told Fastmarkets.