China’s return to the market after a week-long break for Lunar New Year has not brought with it a rush to restock and that has led to some disappointed selling across the base metals traded on the London Metal Exchange, with the complex down by an average of 0.9% this morning, Monday February 11.

Jiangxi Copper, China’s largest copper smelter, is planning to set up metal concentrates blending and scrap processing operations in Southeast Asian countries, Metal Bulletin has learned.

Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mostly down during Asian morning trading on Monday July 2, with market sentiment dampened by disappointing Chinese economic data released over the weekend.

The rallies in the base metals on the London Metal Exchange have generally continued in early trading today, Friday August 25, with prices up by an average of 0.4%, with aluminium, zinc, lead and copper prices up between 0.6% to 0.8%, while nickel is off 0.5% and tin is little changed. Three-month copper prices are at $6,740 per tonne.

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange are split into two camps with copper, aluminium and nickel prices up an average of 0.5% with three-month copper at $5,887 per tonne, while zinc, lead and tin prices are down an average of 0.2% – but volume has been light with 3,844 lots traded as of 06.43 BST.

Base metals prices moved either side of previous closing levels during London Metal Exchange pre-market trading on Tuesday September 19, with the market largely devoid of short-term direction after recent sizeable swings, traders said.

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange are up by an average of 0.5% this morning, Tuesday July 25. Tin is once again bucking the trend with prices off 0.3% at $20,190 per tonne, while the rest have gains of between 0.3% for aluminium and 0.9% for nickel and copper, with the latter at $6,088 per tonne basis three months.

Base metals prices, barring those for tin, on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were up during Asian morning trading on Monday January 21, with residual optimism over trade talks between China and the United States helping to offset some weak Chinese data earlier this morning.

Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were broadly higher during Asian morning trading on Wednesday September 19, with the complex largely shrugging off an escalation in trade tensions between China and the United States.

Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were broadly weaker on the morning of Monday July 30, with zinc (-0.9%), copper (-0.7%), lead (-0.2%) and nickel (-0.1%) all down, while aluminium and tin prices were up by 0.4% and 0.3% respectively.