First trades on CME copper premium contract point to Q1 2018 level at $65-68/t

Initial trades on the CME’s copper cif Shanghai futures contract suggest physical premiums for grade A cathodes will be at $65-68 per tonne for the first quarter of 2018.

Trades came in on Wednesday in the form of 25 lots placed on January, February and March contracts, all at $65 per tonne.

On Thursday a further 50 lots for each month of the first quarter were traded at a premium level of $68 per tonne, bringing the total to 225 lots and 5,625 tonnes.

The contract is settled against the monthly average of the Metal Bulletin daily copper premiums assessment, basis cif Shanghai.

Today’s assessment saw the Shanghai copper premium move up by $2 to a range of $70-82 per tonne.

The latest monthly average was $71.35 per tonne for November.

Those wishing to find out more about the contract and how Metal Bulletin assesses copper premiums in Shanghai can view a webinar featuring deputy Asia editor Kiki Kang and the CME’s Shan Islam here.

What to read next
The Mexican aluminium market might be strongly affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with supply constraints and consequently higher premiums, market participants told Fastmarkets on Tuesday March 10.
Lundin Mining and BHP published a preliminary economic assessment on February 16 for their Vicuña joint venture, projecting average annual copper production of 395,000 tonnes over the first 25 years of operation as Argentina’s copper concentrate pipeline continues to build. PSJ Cobre Mendocino separately confirmed on February 14 that its feasibility study was under way.
Chinese lead smelters turned more bearish on the procurement of raw materials in the week to Friday February 13, amid heightened price volatility in silver, which is often contained in lead ores as an important by-product and contributor to smelter profits, sources told Fastmarkets.
Roughly 40,000 tonnes per month of copper cathode that once flowed smoothly into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through Jebel Ali had few options to reroute after the Strait of Hormuz officially closed on Monday March 2, with the only alternative entry points — Khor Fakkan and Fujairah — already straining under the weight of diverted cargo, market sources told Fastmarkets.
Navigating market volatility with data-driven strategies for resilient mining operations
The publication of several of Fastmarkets' copper concentrates indices was delayed on Friday February 27 because of a technical error. Fastmarkets' pricing database has been updated.