Zinc’s three-month price on the London Metal Exchange climbed by more than 2% during morning trading on Thursday June 6, breaching its nearby $2,500 per tonne resistance level while the metal’s forward spreads begin to show signs of easing.

State-owned Finnish company, Terrafame, will boost investment in developing a battery chemical plant in Sotkamo, Finland, amid a record-high quarter for zinc and nickel production output, the mining company said in a release this week.

Lead’s performance during 2018 is totally reliant on its sister metal zinc, with it lacking any clear direction of its own, an analyst said at Metal Bulletin’s Lead & Zinc conference in London on Thursday March 22.

Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were lower during morning trading on Wednesday August 14, with zinc undoing Tuesday’s gains.

Arbitrage for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel imported into China on Thursday June 14*

Zinc’s three-month price on the London Metal Exchange continued its ascent during morning trading on Tuesday August 13, appreciating by over 1% to steadily approach the $2,300-per-tonne level, while lead was the only metal across the complex to trade lower.

Metal Bulletin is running a one-month consultation to seek feedback on whether to keep or amend the minimum tonnage used in the assessments of its zinc premiums for European countries.

Nickel prices on the London Metal Exchange were down over 2% during morning trading on Monday August 12, undoing last week’s gains.

Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mostly up at the close of the morning trading session on Monday January 6, with the complex partly buoyed by the return of participants following year-end holidays and positive trade headlines.

The balance of power in the refined zinc market will shift in 2019 when Trafigura replaces Glencore as the largest offtake partner of Nyrstar.