SHANGHAI, May 16 (SMM) - In May, domestic smelters have entered the annual intensive maintenance period, which will result in a month-on-month decline in domestic copper cathode output. South Korea’s LS-Nikko Copper completed overhaul of its Onsan smelter at the end of April, which will allow its copper output to resume roughly 10,000 mt in May. Shipments from Russia have gradually recovered after being disturbed by shipping issues. China’s copper imports were limited in the first quarter, while overseas supply increased. Chinese smelters ramped up exports. LME copper inventories added 22% MoM to 75,400 mt as of May 11. Overseas copper fundamentals weakened marginally, and premiums in some regions have peaked. LME cash-to-three-month copper shifted to a small contango. The SHFE/LME copper price ratio is unlikely to improve significantly in the short term, which will put downward pressure on Yangshan copper premiums.

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