China Copper & Aluminum Summit: Factors Affecting Metal Prices

SHANGHAI, Feb. 9 (SMM) – It is difficult to predict metal price trends in 2012. General elections in a number of important economies, deepening of debt crisis in many countries and political turmoil will all exert strong effects on metal prices.

SMM and Shanghai Nonferrous Metals Industry Association will jointly hold the 2012 China Copper & Aluminum Summit on March 12-23, with attendees including Ba Shusong (Deputy Director of Financial Research Institute, Development Research Centre of the State Council), Su Aik Lim (Director in Fitch's Asia-Pacific corporate team), Kong Qingying (General-Manager of China International Capital Corporation Limited), Paul Schulte (Global Head of Financial Strategy and Asia Banks Research Division, CCB International Securities), Lu Ting (Chief Economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch), and many other guests from domestic and international commodity exchanges. They will discuss the global economic development and nonferrous metal price movements in 2012 with domestic non-ferrous industry colleagues.

In addition to smelters, processors and traders, investment banks’ activity also affects metal market sentiment. SMM sets up a section “Investment Banks’ View on Metal Prices” in the Summit to give market participants with different backgrounds an opportunity to discuss copper and aluminum prices together.

A string of important macroeconomic news will be released in March, most euro zone government bonds will come due in March, and US Federal Reserve’s March election will all play a decisive role in metal price trends in 2012. As such, SMM decides to hold the Summit in March.