Yesterday, Pan Gongsheng, Governor of the People's Bank of China, met with IMF Managing Director Georgieva during the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington DC, exchanging views on enhancing cooperation between China and the IMF. The Chinese central bank stated that with stable and declining financing costs in the first quarter, the loan-to-deposit ratio is returning to historical average levels, leaving room for credit growth in the next three quarters. London copper prices rose slightly in early trading, sharply reaching near $9700 per ton in the afternoon, with a peak of $9739 per ton in between.