SMM Morning Comments (Aug 14)

Published: Aug 14, 2019 09:39 (GMT+8)
SHFE base metals traded mixed overnight

SHANGHAI, Aug 14 (SMM) –

Copper: On the back of US announcement of tariff delays, three-month LME copper climbed to a 1-1/2-week high of $5,852/mt overnight, while the most active SHFE October contract rose to a two-week high of 46,960 yuan/mt. Open interest for the SHFE copper complex expanded 6,962 lots to 623,000 lots, with the load-up of long positions accounting for the majority of the growth. Overnight positive developments in US-China trade relationship are expected to continue to bolster copper prices today. LME copper is likely to trade between $5,800-5,855/mt, with SHFE copper at 46,500-47,000 yuan/mt. Spot premiums are seen slightly lower at 20-70 yuan/mt.

Aluminium: Three-month LME aluminium rallied from earlier lows to a high of $1,793/mt overnight, before it closed the day 0.88% higher at $1,785.5/mt. It is expected to trade between $1,750-1,850/mt today. The most traded SHFE October contract weakened to a low of 14,105 yuan/mt overnight, as China Hongqiao Group said the flooding caused by Typhoon Lekima had limited impact on its aluminium production. It later recovered some ground to end 0.21% lower at 14,155 yuan/mt. SHFE aluminium is unlikely to hand back all the gains from the recent rally, in view of a bullish prospect for the medium to long term. It is expected to trade between 14,100-14,200 yuan/mt today, with spot prices in a discount of 10 yuan/mt to a premium of 30 yuan/mt.

Zinc: Three-month LME zinc rapidly rose to a one-week high of $2,344.5/mt overnight, after hovering around $2,270/mt. It finished the trading day 2.62% higher at $2,330.5/mt, above the 10-day moving average. LME zinc is expected to consolidate between $2,300-2,350/mt today. The most active October contract followed its LME counterpart higher to a one-week high of 18,940 yuan/mt overnight, before it closed 0.88% higher at 18,855 yuan/mt. The recovery of yuan limited the gains in SHFE zinc. The contract is expected to trade between 18,700-19,200 yuan/mt today, with resistance from 19,000 yuan/mt under scrutiny.

Nickel: Three-month LME nickel rose to an intraday high of $15,985/mt overnight, before it eased to end the trading day 0.32% higher at $15,750/mt. Whether it could remain above the five-day moving average will come under scrutiny today. The most traded SHFE October contract weakened below the five-day moving average, losing 0.1% to end at 123,300 yuan/mt overnight. Resistance from 126,000 yuan/mt will come under scrutiny today.

Lead: Three-month LME lead rebounded from a low of $2,025.5/mt to a high of $2,083.5/mt overnight, before it ended the day 0.71% higher at $2,069.5/mt. The most active SHFE September recovered from earlier losses to close a tad lower at 16,740 yuan/mt overnight. Support is seen from the 20-day moving average.

Tin: News that US will delay its tariffs on Chinese goods accelerated gains in three-month LME tin overnight, which ended the trading day 1.39% higher at $17,120/mt. Support is seen at $16,500/mt, while resistance is at a previous high of $17,200/mt. The most traded SHFE September contract advanced 0.25% to end at 134,390 yuan/mt overnight. Support is seen at 132,000 yuan/mt, while resistance is at 134,500 yuan/mt where the five-20 day moving averages adhere to each other.

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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