LME Base Metals Cash to 3-Month Backwardation/Contango (2017-8-24)

On the one hand, Teck Resources has signed an annual zinc concentrate contract with a 45% increase in TCs to $230/dmt. An escalation clause was included: if the prices of zinc exceed $3,800/mt, TCs will rise by $0.05/mt for every $1/mt increase in the prices of LME zinc, but if the zinc prices fall, TCs will remain unchanged (the same as the 20%/80% price sharing scheme in China).

Last week, the US Fed announced that it may begin to shrink the balance sheet at the next meeting in May. The pace will be accelerated to a monthly reduction of $95 billion.

Total zinc ingots inventories across seven major markets in China stood at 278,000 mt as of April 8, up 5,200 mt from April 1, down 300 mt from March 6. Domestic inventories increased.

Operating rates across lead-acid battery producers in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hebei provinces gained 7.14 percentage points on the week to 75.6%

Purchasing interest among downstream consumers in Shanghai's spot nickel market cooled on Thursday June 21

Traders continued to lower offers in China’s spot zinc market on Thursday May 10 as supply of imported zinc increased, SMM learned.

In China's spot zinc market on Wednesday May 9, smelters continued to lower offers after thinner transactions from the previous day

China’s output of refined tin in April is likely to rise 7.1% from March, to 14,067 mt, as tin ingot production pick up in Yunnan and as some secondary tin producers step up production

High downstream demand for tin-related products in the emerging photovoltaic (PV) field and a tight global supply of tin ore are likely to buoy tin prices

SMM Morning Comments