At 5,500 meters above sea level, a team of four from a major Chinese zinc smelter was driving up a snowy mountain in the summer of 2018, on their way to the country's largest known zinc-lead deposit - the Huoshaoyun deposit southwest of Hotan County in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

The Shanghai Futures Exchange launched aluminium and zinc options contracts on Monday August 10 to meet growing desire for the important risk management tool, the exchange chairman said.

Broad markets were managing to remain upbeat this morning, Thursday July 9, despite the rapid spread of the Covid-19 virus across some continents, while the base metals were rallying on the back of numerous supply disruptions, especially affecting copper and zinc.

Traders in China are seeking to move piled-up base metal stock in the country to Southeast Asia and Europe, where supply is tight, with export arbitrage terms turning positive since Russia's invasion of Ukraine

The long-expected supply response in the zinc sector is well under way and continues to gather pace.

Deliverable copper stocks at Shanghai Futures Exchange-approved warehouses increased by 12,942 tonnes (8.1%) to 172,455 tonnes in the week to Friday August 7, marking the largest gain in percentage terms across the base metals complex.

Chinese zinc smelter Yunnan Luoping Zinc & Electricity will supply 25,000 tonnes of zinc to the local government for reserve purchase.

Korea Zinc and Teck Resources have signed an annual zinc concentrate supply contract with treatment charges (TCs) at their highest since 2015, sources said.

Zinc and lead miners have had their silver lining taken out.

The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange was the standout performer during morning trading on Friday October 9, with strong buying activity pushing the metal above nearby resistance levels, while high-volume trading saw LME zinc futures clear $2,400 per tonne in a 2.1% upsurge.