SMM Price Outlook for Base Metals on SHFE (May 11, 2017)

Zambia’s Minister of Infrastructure said the main corridor for the DRC’s exports of copper, cobalt, and other minerals was expected to reopen after transport was disrupted by road damage.The DRC is Africa’s largest copper producer and the world’s second-largest copper producer by production. The DRC is also the world’s leading supplier of cobalt, with cobalt production accounting for more than 70% of global production, and most cobalt is exported together with other critical battery minerals.Kasumbalesa is the busiest transit point for the DRC’s metal cargo (mainly bound for China and the US). On Sunday, traffic at the crossing was suspended after heavy rains washed away parts of the road.So far, no mining company has reported that shipments of copper or cobalt have been impeded.

Capstone Copper said on Monday that its Q4 revenue hit a record high, exceeding analysts’ expectations.The company’s adjusted Q4 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) fell short of analysts’ expectations, despite record copper production.The company’s Q4 2025 copper production reached a record high, driven by improved operations at the Mantoverde and Mantos Blancos mines.Capstone Copper expects 2026 copper production to be 200,000-230,000 mt. It expects 2026 C1 cash cost to be $2.45-2.75 per pound.

The US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was attacked by a drone on the 3rd local time, causing a fire and partial damage to the building. Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced that it was simultaneously carrying out airstrikes on Tehran, the capital of Iran, and Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, further escalating the intensity of the conflict in the Middle East. In response to the embassy attack, US President Trump said Washington would announce response measures “soon,” and revised his remarks to say that “there is no need to deploy ground troops.” On the same day, Trump claimed on social media that the US has “almost unlimited” ammunition reserves, and that “with these reserves alone, we can keep fighting forever and win very beautifully.”