May 6 SMM zinc spot price: the average price of SMM0# zinc ingots increased by 250 yuan / ton

Total zinc ingots inventories across seven major markets in China stood at 284,100 mt as of April 15, up 6,100 mt from April 8, down 3,700 mt from April 11.

Today, the spot prices of all series of stainless steel products in Foshan stood flat today. The average price of the 300 series product was around 18,000 yuan/mt. The market received a large number of goods last week, while the demand failed to keep up. The downstream users continued to purchase on rigid demand after the prices rebounded slightly yesterday.

The most-traded SHFE aluminum contract opened at 21,190 yuan/mt, with the highest and lowest prices at 21,505 yuan/mt and 21,115 yuan/mt respectively, and closed at 21,450 yuan/mt in the overnight trading, up 350 yuan/mt or 1.51%.

Shanghai base metals mostly trended lower on Tuesday morning after US dollar rallied significantly. Meanwhile, their counterparts on LME performed similarly.

Shanghai nonferrous metals mostly closed in the positive territory as the market was cheered up by the macro front, as China released its December official manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMI readings, which topped market expectation.

SHFE and LME zinc prices once again hit new highs in two months, mainly owing to the continuously rising electricity and natural gas prices which rose by more than 20% amid intensifying energy shortages in the eurozone, according to SMM. Meanwhile, the costs of smelters also climbed due to low zinc concentrate TCs as a result of tight supply.

Market focus this week includes the readings of the manufacturing PMI in the Eurozone in November and the Markit manufacturing PMI in the United States in November; the one-year loan market interest rate as of November 22 in China. On the events front, the Federal Reserve FOMC will release the minutes of the monetary policy meeting this Thursday; Bank of England Governor Bailey will deliver a speech this Friday.

The average price of Ni 1.5% Philippine laterite nickel ore stood at $82/wmt last week, flat on the week.

This is a roundup of news in the steel industry for last week.

The falling prices of coal and other energy sources have dragged down the metals prices across the board. The SS 2112 contract fell to 18,375 yuan/mt this morning and stabilised to stand at 19,005 yuan/mt at noon.