LIVE FUTURES REPORT 17/09: SHFE base metals prices broadly down; tin bucks trend

The most-traded November copper contract price on the SHFE dropped to 47,940 yuan ($6,979) per tonne as at 9.50am Shanghai time, down by 480 yuan per tonne from last Friday’s close.

The release of disappointing Chinese macroeconomic data at the end of last week saw investors’ appetite for risk fall, with the SHFE base metals declining as a result.

Chinese data released last Friday showed Chinese fixed asset investment growth slowed to 5.3% in the first eight months of the year, below a forecast of 5.5% and matching a record low in January-July.

“Fixed asset investment growth in the first eight months slowed to its lowest level since 1999. In particular, infrastructure investment rose just 4.2%, the weakest since the data series began in 2014,” ANZ Research noted on Monday.

In addition, possible US-China trade war has continued to cloud the overall sentiment, following reports on Friday that US president Trump would go ahead with the $200 billion of new tariff and China may turn down the offer of trade talks.

In addition, heightened concerns over the lingering United States-China trade war continues to stifle any positivity in the market, with the market wary of further tariffs. This comes after reports last Friday that US President Donald Trump will go ahead with $200 billion of new tariffs on Chinese goods as early as today.

The news boosted the dollar index, which stood at 94.93 as at 9.51am Shanghai time. This compares with a reading of 94.55 at roughly the same time last Friday. The firmer US currency added to the downward pressure forcing the SHFE base metals, bar tin, to trade lower this morning.

Other base metals weak, bar tin

• The SHFE November aluminium contract price dipped 45 yuan per tonne to 14,540 yuan per tonne.
• The SHFE November zinc contract price dropped 270 yuan per tonne to 20,465 yuan per tonne.
• The SHFE October lead contract price fell 310 yuan per tonne to 18,710 yuan per tonne.
• The SHFE November nickel contract slid 1,200 yuan per tonne to 102,620 yuan per tonne.
• The SHFE January tin contract price rose 350 yuan per tonne to 144,270 yuan per tonne.

Currency moves and data releases

• The dollar index was little changed at 94.93 as at 9.51am Shanghai time.
• In other commodities, the Brent crude oil spot price was down by 0.05% to $78.02 per barrel as at 9.51am Shanghai time.
• In equities, the Shanghai Composite was down by 0.75% to 2,661.41 as at 10.32am Shanghai time.
• In US data last Friday, core retail sales and retails sales both disappointed with 0.3% and 0.1% readings respectively. Import prices fell to -0.6% month on month, while the capacity utilization rate stood at 78.1%.
• Inflation expectations and consumer sentiment stood at 2.8% and 100.8% respectively, while business inventories ticked above the estimate at 0.6%.
• The economic agenda is light today with the European Union’s core and headline final consumer price index, the Italian trade balance and the Empire State Manufacturing Index from the US of note.