Copper market price speculation is driving the base metals narrative, head of research at UK-based services provider Sucden Financial Daria Efanova said during the company’s third-quarter metals webinar on Wednesday July 17.

Tightness in raw material supply has driven Fastmarkets’ copper and zinc treatment charges (TCs) to all-time lows, while lead concentrate TCs have hit intra-year lows. Fastmarkets looks at the common themes driving the downward movements

Saudi Arabia, through its spearheading of a mining and minerals production and consumption push in the Middle East, a region usually associated with oil and gas, is leading neighboring countries to increase their presence in the base metals markets

Base metals on the London Metal Exchange were mixed in morning trading on Monday June 10, with three-month prices lacking direction amid thin traded volumes due a public holiday in China, the largest market for base metals

The base metals complex has been on a climb on futures exchanges globally but the surge is not reflected in physical markets, with buyers generally staying out of the market due to elevated prices, sources told Fastmarkets

Supply disruption and financial speculation helped most base metals prices hit 2024 highs in the week to Friday May 24, yet demand remains mostly muted

Raw material tightness added further pressure to imported zinc concentrate supply to China, with volumes dropping sharply in the first quarter and market participants saying that low availability of spot cargoes is not expected to ease in the short term.

This move aligns with global demands for sustainability in the mining sector and sets Nexa on a path toward achieving net zero emissions by 2050

Stocks of base metals in Shanghai bonded warehouses showed mixed fortunes in March, Fastmarkets has learned

Teck Resources and Korea Zinc have agreed annual zinc treatment charges (TCs) at $165 per tonne for 2024, the lowest level since 2021, Fastmarkets has learned from multiple sources.