Lead market surplus drops to 8kt during Jan-Oct 2015

By Carolina Curiel (ScrapMonster Author)

December 21, 2015 01:18:49 AM

BRUSSELS (Scrap Monster): The global lead market has recorded a small surplus of 8,000 tonnes during January to October this year, as mentioned in the latest metals balances report published by the World Bureau of Metal Statistics (WBMS). It must be noted that the worldwide lead market had reported a deficit of 35.1kt for the entire year 2014.

The global refined lead output during Jan-Oct ’15 declined by 8.3% over the previous year to 8,270 kt. This is inclusive of production from primary and secondary sources.

The global lead demand during Jan-Oct ’15 has dropped by 791kt. The Chinese apparent consumption recorded sharp fall of 642,000 tonnes during this period to total 3,179 kt. The Chinese demand accounted for just over 38% of the global demand. Also, the US apparent consumption has dropped by 104,000 tonnes.

According to the report, reported stocks of the metal at the end of October this year dropped by 138 kt when matched with the stock levels during end-2014.

The refined lead production during October 2015 alone totaled 823.6 kt. The lead consumption during the month totaled 839.6 kt.