EUROPEAN MORNING BRIEF 08/12: Third Q1 MJP deal done at $103/t; Vale cutting nickel production; US aluminium imports

Good morning from Metal Bulletin’s office in Shanghai as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Friday December 8.

Tracking price movements seen on the London Metal Exchange, copper prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange recovered some lost ground during Asian morning trading on Friday, with renewed supply-side concerns providing support.

Check Metal Bulletin’s live futures report here.

LME snapshot at 02.20am London time
Latest three-month LME Prices
  Price
($ per tonne)
 Change since yesterday’s close ($)
Copper 6,569 5
Aluminium 2,013 3
Lead 2,442 9
Zinc 3,059 -31
Tin 19,350 -75
Nickel 10,955 -85

SHFE snapshot at 10.19am Shanghai time
Most-traded SHFE contracts
  Price
(yuan per tonne)
 Change since yesterday’s close (yuan)
Copper  51,450 240
Aluminium 14,210 5
Zinc 24,325 -170
Lead 18,505 -175
Tin  139,590 -110
Nickel  88,680 1,270

A major end-user has concluded a third deal for aluminium supply to main Japanese ports (MJP) in the first quarter of 2018 at a premium of $103 per tonne, the consumer told Metal Bulletin on Friday.

Vale SA is searching for an equity partner for its Vale New Caledonia (VNC) nickel operations to send a positive message to investors and not because the company needs cash.

Meanwhile, Vale plans to reduce its nickel production in the short term to capitalize on the metal’s future potential use in electric vehicles, according to a company executive.

Aluminium imports to the United States in the first 10 months of 2017 surpassed the previous years’ total – despite October’s volume being a year-to-date low, according to data from the US International Trade Commission.

What to read next
The Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) state-controlled Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC) announced its first copper and cobalt shipments to Swiss traders Trafigura and Mercuria on Monday February 9, with Trafigura using the Lobito Corridor to transport commodities.
Malaysia implemented an absolute ban on imports of electronic waste (e-waste) to take immediate effect on Wednesday February 4, in an attempt to tighten environmental controls and curb illegal shipments, Fastmarkets understands.
For a brief moment, the mining sector allowed itself to consider a bold idea: Rio Tinto and Glencore in merger discussions.
Fastmarkets selects the frequency of publication of a market assessment after considering the number of data points (deals, bids, offers, deals heard and assessments) that it can reasonably expect to collect on a consistent basis over the selected period to support the price assessment process. This proposal follows preliminary discussions with the market as well […]
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.