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.

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

Arbitrage for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel imported into China on Tuesday May 29*

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.

Barring those for zinc, base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were all up during morning trading on Friday July 19 following a retreat in the dollar index overnight.

Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mixed during the morning trading session on Thursday November 14, with zinc leading on the downside with a 1.1% drop.

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

The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange was down during the morning trading session on Wednesday November 13, slipping below further support levels despite a continued draw on LME stocks, while tin futures threatened a dip below $16,000 per tonne.

Zinc prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange outperformed with an increase of 1.1% during morning trading on Thursday April 4 amid optimism over US-China trade talks and the metal’s solid fundamentals.

Base metals futures on the London Metal Exchange mostly rose during morning trading on Wednesday December 22, with the exception of tin, which experienced a mild drop.