ASIAN MORNING BRIEF 06/22: Zinc prices slide by more than 2%; LME delists WWS; Rusal restarts Guinea alumina refinery

The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Friday June 22.

Zinc prices on the London Metal Exchange fell by more than 2% by the close of trading on Thursday June 21, while sister metal lead struggled to find support amid an intensified trade war between China and the United States. Read more in our live futures report.

Here are how prices looked at the close of trading:

The LME has decided to delist Worldwide Warehouse Solutions (WWS) after a careful monitoring of the company’s financial situation, Metal Bulletin reported on Thursday.

UC Rusal has restarted its Friguia alumina refinery in Guinea after production was halted there six years ago.

South African miner Tharisa is predicting that Zimbabwe will become a significant player in the high-grade chrome ore market.

Australian-Chinese miner MMG said that it will sell its Sepon copper mining asset in Laos to a Chinese gold miner for $275 million.

The US has agreed to exemptions from Section 232 tariffs for some steel products from five countries, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said.

Japan has requested dispute consultations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding South Korean anti-dumping duties levied on stainless steel bars from the country, according to the WTO.

US rebar import prices are up on limited metal supply, with European exporters reluctant to compete with cheaper and limited Turkish rebar.

What to read next
The proposal would align the index more closely with physically traded volumes in the region, and enable it to adjust to evolving market conditions. This proposal follows an observed widening of the spread between trader and smelter purchase components of the index and is aligned with a majority of market feedback. Additionally, Fastmarkets seeks feedback […]
Until now, aluminium has been hard to move, not hard to find. Global aluminium supply had remained technically intact, even as output was curtailed in parts of the Gulf, inventory buffers were drawn down or repositioned, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was severely disrupted.
Global aluminium producers face heightened uncertainty over power supplies, with oil and gas prices elevated by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) flows, sources told Fastmarkets.
Fastmarkets is extending the consultation period for the methodology of several of its black mass payables indicators and prices, and is also proposing changes to the names of CIF South Korea and EWX Europe black mass prices.
Rio Tinto Aluminium is expanding its footprint beyond its historic hydro-powered Canadian base, targeting Europe, Asia and Latin America as part of a deliberate diversification strategy, according to the unit’s chief executive officer.
Fastmarkets has corrected its copper concentrates treatment and refinement charge indices, which were published incorrectly on March 20 2026 due to a technical error.