SMM Morning Comments (Mar 8)

SHANGHAI, Mar 8 (SMM) –

Copper: LME copper touched a low of $6,900/mt with resistance from moving averages. We expect it to trade at $6,900-6,970/mt and the SHFE 1805 contract to trade at 52,000-52,600 yuan/mt today. In the physical market, spot discounts are seen smaller at 100-40 yuan/mt. 

Aluminium: LME aluminium edged down overnight and is set to test support at $2,100/mt today. We expect it to trade at $2,085-2,120/mt, while the SHFE contract is expected to trade at 14,100-14,300 yuan/mt today. Spot prices are expected at a discount of 150-110 yuan/mt.

Nickel: As the US dollar gained, LME nickel faced pressure and fell to a low a $13,350/mt overnight. We expect it to trade rangebound while the SHFE 1805 contract trades at 101,500-103,500 yuan/mt today. Spot prices are seen at 100,800-102,800 yuan/mt.

Zinc: We expect LME zinc to continue to face resistance and is likely to fall below $3,300/mt in the short term. Trade prices are seen at $3,250-3,300/mt today. SHFE zinc is expected to trade at 25,050-25,500 yuan/mt today with increasing downward pressure.

Tin: SHFE tin touched a low of 145,640 yuan/mt with support at 145,000 yuan/mt overnight. We expect it to trade at 145,000-147,000 yuan/mt today and LME lead to trade rangebound and test support at $21,000/mt. In the physical market, spot prices are expected to edge down, between 144,000-146,000 yuan/mt.

Lead: Overnight, LME lead fell to $2,365.5/mt, a record low in the last six months. We see it testing support at the 60-day moving average today. With pressure from shorts, SHFE lead edged down overnight and fell below 18,500 yuan/mt. We expect it to test support at 18,400 yuan/mt today.

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