SMM Morning Comments (Nov 9)

Published: Nov 9, 2018 10:11
SMM Morning Comments

SHANGHAI, Nov 9 (SMM) – 

Copper: LME copper rose to $6,124.5/mt overnight as the market refocused from the US midterm election results to the declines in LME copper inventories. Pressure from the daily moving average weighed it to a low of $6,092.5/mt. It settled at $6,144/mt, after hovering around $6,140/mt near closing. The SHFE 1910 contract rebounded after it dipped, with the lowest level below the 60-day moving average. We expect it to trade at 49,100-49,600 yuan/mt today with its LME counterpart trading at $6,100-6,150/mt. Spot premiums are set at 40-80 yuan/mt as sellers are keen to destock.

Aluminium: The SHFE 1901 contract mostly consolidated within a narrow range above the Bollinger upper band overnight, and nudged up to settle at 13,955 yuan/mt. LME aluminium was pressured by a strong US dollar as the Federal Reserve announced that it will maintain its monetary policy and indicated further gradual rate hikes before the end of the year. It slumped from a high of $2,002/mt to the lowest overnight at $1,981/mt. As weak support is expected at the five- and 10-day moving averages below, LME aluminium may trade at $1,960-2,000/mt today. The SHFE 1901 contract is expected to trade at 13,900-14,000 yuan/mt today, with spot discounts at 60-20 yuan/mt. 

Zinc: Short-term tight supplies of zinc pulled up LME zinc from lows around $2,465/mt overnight, even as the US dollar rebounded. It grew 1.12% from Wednesday to close at $2,492.5/mt, and may trade at $2,470-2,520/mt today. The SHFE 1901 contract regained upward momentum last night with support from the Bollinger lower band. It rose in line with its LME counterpart and settled at 20,925 yuan/mt. It is likely at 20,600-21,100 yuan/mt today. 

Nickel: LME nickel rallied overnight from a low of $11,590/mt, but met resistance at $11,815/mt. It inched down to around the 10-day moving average, and closed at $11,765/mt. The SHFE 1901 contract tested pressure at the 97,580 yuan/mt level amid cautious longs, and grew 0.79% from Wednesday to close at 97,460 yuan/mt. Today, the contract is likely to trade at 96,500-98,000 yuan/mt with LME nickel hovering around $11,750/mt. Spot prices are seen at 97,500-106,500 yuan/mt. 

Lead: Release of domestic environmental review results in Anhui province bolstered prices of lead last night, but the rises are unlikely to sustain. LME lead surged above the five- , 10-, and 20-day moving averages amid rising longs. The SHFE 1812 contract stood above all moving averages after opened at highs, and settled at 18,750 yuan/mt. Prices are expected to consolidate at their current levels today. 

Tin: Potential maintenance at Yunnan Tin buoyed prices of the SHFE 1901 contract to a high of 148,500 yuan/mt overnight. LME tin also traded robustly and closed 1.42% higher from Wednesday. The 1901 contract is likely to test pressure above at 149,000 yuan/mt, with spot prices expected at 147,000-149,000 yuan/mt today. 

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

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