Given the geopolitical developments with the USA attacking a Syrian air base, base metals prices have been little affected, although precious metals are up, while in China, iron ore and steel prices have fallen heavily.

China’s coke export prices have fallen amid the country’s weakening ferrous markets with demand not picking up as strongly as expected in the spring season.

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange are fairly mixed this morning, Monday October 30, with the complex off by an average of 0.3%. Three-month copper prices are little changed at $6,841 per tonne, while the rest are ranged between lead prices that are down by 0.9% and zinc prices that are up by 0.4%. Aluminium prices are down by 0.8%, nickel prices are off by 0.6% and tin prices are up by 0.3%.

China’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for May surprised to the upside at 51.9, having been expected to remain at April’s level of 51.4, though the positivity surrounding this release has yet to filter through to base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange.

Metal Bulletin’s Charlotte Radford reviews some of the key news from the past seven days.

Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed this morning, Thursday March 14, with copper, nickel, lead and zinc down by an average of 0.4%, while lead and tin were up by 0.1% 0.4% respectively.

Base metals traded on the London Metal Exchange are for the most part weaker this morning, Friday March 9. The exception is nickel, where prices are up by 0.2%, while the rest are lower: Zinc (-1%), tin (-0.9%), aluminium (-0.5%), lead (-0.3%) and copper prices are off by 0.5% at $6,792 per tonne.

Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange broadly continued their recent run of weakness on the morning of Thursday July 5. Nickel prices were unchanged, while the rest of the complex was down by between 0.3% for copper ($6,382 per tonne) and 0.7% for aluminium ($2,089 per tonne).

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange started the European trading day slightly weaker this morning, Thursday December 14, with losses in copper (-0.3% at $6,721 per tonne), lead (-0.3%), zinc (-0.2%) and tin (-0.1%), while aluminium is up by 0.1% and nickel prices are unchanged. They have since started to rally, helped by stronger data.

Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were for the most part under pressure during morning trading on Thursday October 25, with the complex down by an average of 0.2%. Poor US new home sales data on Wednesday and weakness in equity markets are weighing on market sentiment.