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#Copper climbs to one-week high on #China demand hopes $LBSR $TMBXF $MIN.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:06 AM on Monday, October 22nd, 2018

  • Copper prices climbed to one-week highs on Monday due to expectations of stronger demand after authorities in top consumer China said they would take measures aimed at bolstering growth and liquidity
  • Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange was up 1.2 percent at $6,292 a tonne at 0919 GMT from an earlier $6,331.50 a tonne, the highest since Oct. 15.

Imaduddin October 22, 2018

LONDON: Copper prices climbed to one-week highs on Monday due to expectations of stronger demand after authorities in top consumer China said they would take measures aimed at bolstering growth and liquidity.

Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange was up 1.2 percent at $6,292 a tonne at 0919 GMT from an earlier $6,331.50 a tonne, the highest since Oct. 15.

China’s central bank governor said last week it would roll out targeted measures to help ease company financing problems and encourage commercial banks to boost lending to private firms.

“The news from China is encouraging for metals,” said Eugen Weinberg, analyst at Commerzbank. “Measures that add liquidity will help in the short to medium term, but it won’t solve the problem of indebtedness, a problem for some years now.”

CHINA TAX: China’s tax cuts next year could exceed the equivalent of 1 percent of gross domestic product, a central bank adviser said, in a sign policymakers might be considering another round of tax reductions.

GROWTH: China’s economic growth cooled to its weakest quarterly pace since the global financial crisis, with regulators moving quickly to calm nervous investors as a years-long campaign to tackle debt risks and the trade war with the United States began to bite.

DEMAND: China accounts for about half of global copper demand estimated this year at around 24 million tonnes.

China is “multiplying its efforts to support the economy, and in particular, the infrastructure sector amid domestic and international headwinds,” such as the trade war with the United States and high debt levels, Fitch Solutions said in a note.

The country’s demand for copper, an economic bellwether, “will improve over the coming months as property completions and grid investment picks up and demand from the autos and consumer sectors remain buoyant,” added the research house.

TECHNICALS: Strong upside resistance for copper is at the 100-day moving average, currently at around $6,320 and support is at $6,115, the 55-day moving average.

STOCKS: Traders say significantly higher copper prices in China could encourage further outflows from LME approved warehouses to those monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange.

LME copper stocks at 154,225 tonnes have tumbled 27 percent since Sept. 24, while those in ShFE warehouses are up about 27 percent over the same period to 140,789 tonnes.

PRICES: Aluminium was up 1.2 percent at $2,028, zinc  gained 1.3 percent to $2,660, lead added 1.4 percent to $2,020, tin rose 0.1 percent to $19,190 and nickel was up 1.4 percent to $12,615 a tonne.

Source: https://www.brecorder.com/2018/10/22/448516/copper-climbs-to-one-week-high-on-china-demand-hopes/

INTERVIEW: Liberty Star $LBSR Discusses Latest Activities in #Copper Mining Rich Southeast Arizona $TMBXF $MIN.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:57 AM on Friday, August 10th, 2018

#RenewableEnergy to drive #copper demand, BMO says $LBSR

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:30 PM on Friday, July 27th, 2018
  • Renewable energy will be the largest single driver of demand growth for copper over the coming years, according to a recent study by BMO Capital Markets.
  • Currently, global copper demand is about 30 million tonnes per year. BMO forecasts copper demand growth rates through 2030 will be above a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3%, “marking an acceleration on the growth rates seen over the past twenty years.”

“The need to connect significant numbers of small-scale electricity generation units into the grid provides a major boost to copper, with solar generation capacity set to triple and wind capacity set to double by 2025.”

Currently, global copper demand is about 30 million tonnes per year. BMO forecasts copper demand growth rates through 2030 will be above a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3%, “marking an acceleration on the growth rates seen over the past twenty years.”

As a result, BMO has added 1 million tonnes a year of global copper consumption through 2025, compared with its earlier estimates.

“We see the need for ~ 5 million tonnes per year of new projects from new primary mine supply to solve the expected supply gap and bring the market into equilibrium over the 2025-2030 period.”
BMO has raised its long-run copper price to US$3.25 per lb. (US$7,165 per tonne).

“Changing long-run commodity prices should be a rare event, and should only take place where there is a market shift in the future outlook,” the study reported. “In our view, that event is the step-change we expect in demand expectations driven by renewables and electric vehicles.”

Drilling deeper into the numbers, infrastructure and electrical networks currently make up about 35% of all copper demand, while construction makes up about 24%, goods and consumer products 24%, machinery 10%, and transportation about 7%.

Looking ahead, BMO forecasts renewable grid infrastructure will account for 74% of all copper demand growth to 2025.

The growth in copper demand is occurring at a time when “the current and highly probable copper pipeline is at the lowest level we have seen this century, both in terms of the number of projects and capacity,” the study stated.

Existing assets also suffer from lower grades and underperformance.

“Twenty years ago, the average grade of a working copper mine was 1.6%,” the study’s authors note. “Now, it is 1.0%.”

“The perennial struggles of existing copper assets, particularly the large operations, have posed the biggest hurdle to overall supply growth,” the study states. “To put this in context, the largest 10 copper mines in the world in 2007 produced ~ 4.8 million tonnes of copper (in 2005 this number was in excess of 5 million tonnes). Those same operations in 2017 produced ~ 4.3 million tonnes.”

“We have slight growth (pre-disruption) from existing assets through 2021, but after this point with many SXEW operations hitting end of life, the decline accelerates. By 2025, we see a drop of 1.53 million tonnes per year from existing operations.”

Source: http://www.northernminer.com/news/renewable-energy-to-drive-copper-demand-bmo-says/1003798085/

FEATURE: Tartisan Nickel $TN.ca Kenbridge Property Hosts M&I Resource of 7.14 Million Tonnes at 0.62% Nickel, 0.33% Copper

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:32 PM on Monday, May 7th, 2018

TN:CSE

Investment Highlights

  • Acquisition of Canadian Arrow Mines Limited includes two Ontario-based nickel-copper-(cobalt) properties
  • Canadian Arrow’s Kenbridge property has a measured and indicated resource of 7.14 million tonnes at 0.62% nickel, 0.33% copper
  • 20 percent equity stake in Eloro Resources and 2 percent NSR in their La Victoria property with drill program in progress
  • Strong management team with proven experience in advancing projects to production readiness and increasing shareholder value
  • Tightly held share structure with 50 percent owned by approximately 10 investors

Kenbridge Ni Project (ON, Canada)

  • Advanced  stage  deposit  remains open  in  three  directions,  is  equipped with a 623m  deep  shaft  and  has  never  been  mined.
  • Preliminary  Economic Assessment completed in   2008   and later updated returned robust project
    economics and operating costs including  a  NPV  of  C$253M  and  cash costs of US$3.47/lb of nickel net of
    copper credits.
  • Plans for Kenbridge include updating the 2008 PEA, advancing the project through to feasibility and exploring
    the open mineralization at depth

Tartisan Nickel Corp. $TN.ca Expands Land Package at Its Kenbridge #Nickel #Copper #Cobalt Deposit, Kenora, Ontario $NI.ca $GP.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:14 PM on Wednesday, April 18th, 2018

Tc logo in black

  • Company has expanded its land package around its existing patented claims centered on its Kenbridge Nickel-Copper-Cobalt deposit
  • Land package of patented and unpatented claims now encompasses 1,762 hectares

Toronto, Ontario – Tartisan Nickel Corp. (CSE: TN, FSE: A2DPCM) (“Tartisan”, or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that the Company has expanded its land package around its existing patented claims centered on its Kenbridge Nickel-Copper-Cobalt deposit. The land package of patented and unpatented claims now encompasses 1,762 hectares.

As part of the ongoing review of the data associated with the acquisition of the Kenbridge orebody in February 2018 an additional  twenty seven (27) claims were staked including six (6) claims over patented areas where the new mapstaking system MLAS indicated land availability for staking. A number of the new claims cover potential extensions to the strong magnetic feature with a 2-km strike length with a prominent deep-seated 200m long conductive anomaly located along the flank of the magnetic anomaly. The prospective target is located some 2.5km to the northeast of the Kenbridge deposit, situated along the same structural trend of the Kenbridge intrusion.

Tartisan Nickel CEO Mr. Mark Appleby noted, “ We are pleased to have increased our land position and are encouraged by the improving technical fundamentals of the nickel market. We continue to seek out opportunities to enhance shareholder value”.

The Kenbridge Deposit hosts measured and indicated resources of 7.139 million tonnes of 0.62% nickel; 0.33% copper; and 0.016% cobalt; with inferred resources of 0.118 million tonnes of 1.38% nickel; 0.88% copper; and 0.003% cobalt. In total a contained nickel resource of 97.8 million pounds of nickel and 47 million pounds of copper has been defined by previous operators to date. The Kenbridge deposit is equipped with a 623m shaft and two levels and has never been mined. Mineralization is open at depth and along strike.

ABOUT TARTISAN NICKEL CORP.

Tartisan also owns a 100% interest in the Alexo-Kelex Nickel property, a past-producing nickel deposit near Timmins, Ontario with historical production of some 87,000 tonnes of nickel grading 3.06%. Tartisan Nickel is actively evaluating Alexo-Kelex to determine potential courses of action that would add value to the Corporation.

In Peru, Tartisan owns a 100% stake in the Don Pancho Zinc-Lead-Silver Project in Peru just 9 km from Trevali’s Santander mine and owns a 100% stake in the Ichuna Copper-Silver Project, contiguous to Buenaventura’s San Gabriel property. Tartisan also owns a significant equity stake (6 million shares and 3 million warrants at 40 cents) in Eloro Resources Ltd, which is exploring the low-sulphidation epithermal La Victoria Gold/Silver Project in Ancash, Peru.

Tartisan Nickel Corp. common shares are listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE:TN, FSE:A2DPCM). Currently, there are 97,623,550 shares outstanding (109,547,594 fully diluted).

For further information, please contact Mr. D. Mark Appleby, President & CEO and a Director of the Company, at 416-804-0280 ([email protected]). Additional information about Tartisan can be found at the Company’s website at www.tartisannickel.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Jim Steel MBA P.Geo. is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101 and has read and approved the technical content of this News Release.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.

FEATURE: Tartisan Resources $TTC.ca Kenbridge Property Hosts M&I Resource of 7.14 Million Tonnes at 0.62% #Nickel, 0.33% #Copper $ROX.ca $ITG.ca $MTU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:04 AM on Tuesday, March 6th, 2018

Investment Highlights

  • Acquisition of Canadian Arrow Mines Limited includes two Ontario-based nickel-copper-(cobalt) properties
  • Canadian Arrow’s Kenbridge property has a measured and indicated resource of 7.14 million tonnes at 0.62% nickel, 0.33% copper
  • 20 percent equity stake in Eloro Resources and 2 percent NSR in their La Victoria property with drill program in progress
  • Strong management team with proven experience in advancing projects to production readiness and increasing shareholder value
  • Tightly held share structure with 50 percent owned by approximately 10 investors

Kenbridge Ni Project (ON, Canada)

  • Advanced  stage  deposit  remains open  in  three  directions,  is  equipped with a 623m  deep  shaft  and  has  never  been  mined.
  • Preliminary  Economic Assessment completed in   2008   and later updated returned robust project
    economics and operating costs including  a  NPV  of  C$253M  and  cash costs of US$3.47/lb of nickel net of
    copper credits.
  • Plans for Kenbridge include updating the 2008 PEA, advancing the project through to feasibility and exploring
    the open mineralization at depth

Rising Chinese imports push #Copper higher $LBSR $TTC.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:08 AM on Tuesday, February 27th, 2018

  • Price of copper rose on Monday as higher imports to China and strong economic data cemented expectations of solid demand from the world’s biggest metals consumer
  • Rising global stock markets also fuelled appetite for riskier assets including metals, said Societe Generale analyst Robin Bhar
  • Price of copper, used in power and construction, surged last year on expectations that lower scrap imports to China would increase demand for refined metal

The price of copper rose on Monday as higher imports to China and strong economic data cemented expectations of solid demand from the world’s biggest metals consumer. Rising global stock markets also fuelled appetite for riskier assets including metals, said Societe Generale analyst Robin Bhar.

“Both macro and micro factors are good,” he said. Benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange closed 0.2 percent up at $7,110 a tonne, not farom a four-year high of $7,312.50 touched in January.

Copper imports to China rose 13 percent from December to 314,525 tonnes in January, while refined nickel imports doubled to 26,691 tonnes and refined zinc imports surged by 287 percent to 67,111 tonnes. Prices of nickel and zinc, used in the steel industry, also rose on the strong import data and a surge in Chinese steel futures after reports that China’s top steelmaking city will extend production curbs.

Nickel finished 1.2 percent up at $13,925 a tonne, close to three-year highs, and zinc ended near its highest since 2007 after gaining 0.8 percent to $3,531.50. Chinese imports of scrap metal, meanwhile, fell to the lowest level in nearly two years in January after restrictions were introduced. Scrap copper imports were down 28 percent year on year.

The price of copper, used in power and construction, surged last year on expectations that lower scrap imports to China would increase demand for refined metal. Robust economic data reinforced expectations of strong demand for metals. Prices for new homes rose in January and a poll showed that China’s manufacturing sector is expected to register another month of relatively solid growth in February.

Bets on higher copper prices increased on the COMEX exchange, with funds’ net long position rising for the first time this year in the week to February 20. LME aluminium finished down 0.1 percent at $2,138 a tonne but still within sight of a six-year high of $2,290.50 touched in January.

“With no apparent shortage of supply, we expect prices to ease back in 2018,” Capital Economics analyst Simona Gambarini said in a note. SUPPLY: Global primary production rose in January, according to the International Aluminium Institute. There was also an increase in exports of semi-processed aluminium products from China, the world’s largest producer. And in the United States a smelter was poised to restart idled production if Washington curbs imports. LME lead closed 1.9 percent up at $2,580 and tin finished down 0.1 percent at $21,625.

Source: https://fp.brecorder.com/2018/02/20180227347541/

Tartisan Resources Corp. $TTC.ca to change name to Tartisan Nickel Corp. $LPK.ca $GOLD.ca $ORO.ca $LRA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 7:50 AM on Wednesday, February 21st, 2018

Tartisan logo copy

 

  • Company to change name to Tartisan Nickel Corp.
  • Engaged MineMap Pty. Ltd.as consulting engineers for the preliminary review of the Kenbridge Project
  • MineMap will provide an updated block model on Kenbridge

 

 

Toronto, Ontario (FSCwire)Tartisan Resources Corp. (CSE: TTC, FSE: 8TA) (“Tartisan”, or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that the Company has engaged MineMap Pty. Ltd. of Midland, Western Australia (“MineMap”), as consulting engineers for the preliminary review of the Kenbridge Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project. MineMap will provide an updated block model based on data acquired from predecessor company Canadian Arrow Mines Limited, with NI 43-101 compliant resources, and where appropriate to do so, outline the relevant underground and surface work planning for the Kenbridge Project.

 

MineMap Pty. Ltd., headed by W. Seldon Mart, Ph.D. (Australia) P. Eng. Geo, has since 1975 been developing geological and mining design software. Mr. Mart, together with William L. Makar, Geo, ASIMM. built MineMap™ software to integrate drill hole visualization, resource/reserve calculation, and Lersch-Grossman analysis of resource financial integrity based on underground and/or surface primary pit and site designs. MineMap also offers products and services in NPV-based production scheduling, pit haul road design based on reserve distribution, and real-time haul truck based tonnage and grade tracking from pit/stope to mill which updates ore, waste, and/or reserve, or resource databases as appropriate.

 

“We are delighted to have MineMap involved as primary subcontractor for the resource review,” said CEO Mark Appleby, “In the context of the first NI 43-101 Technical Report that Tartisan Nickel Corp has planned for the Kenbridge Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project. We look forward to reviewing the MineMap initial conclusions within the next 90 days”

 

The Kenbridge Deposit hosts measured and indicated resources of 7.139 million tonnes of 0.62% nickel, 0.33% copper, and 0.16% cobalt; and inferred resources of 118,000 tonnes of 1.38% nickel, 0.88% copper, and 0.003% cobalt. In total a contained nickel resource of 97.8 million pounds and 47 million pounds of copper. The Kenbridge Deposit is equipped with a 623m shaft and has never been mined. Mineralization is open at depth and along strike.

 

Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders

 

Additionally, Tartisan announces the results from their recently held Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders which was held on February 20, 2018. The record date for the Shareholder Meeting had been fixed as January 12, 2018. Meeting particulars can be found on SEDAR.

 

All Resolutions presented Passed including: All four incumbent directors were re-appointed as directors of the Company namely; D. Mark Appleby, Denis Laviolette, Douglas Flett and Yves Clement, all by 26,920,058 votes In Favor with nil against. Mark Appleby will continue in his role as President and CEO and Daniel Fuoco will continue in his role as CFO.

 

Collins Barrow LLP was appointed as the Company’s auditor and the Company’s stock option plan was approved.

 

Additionally, by a Special Resolution, Tartisan shareholders voted In Favor of the Company proceeding with a proposed name change to “Tartisan Nickel Corp.” or such other name that the board of directors of the Company saw fit. “Tartisan is committing substantial manpower and financial backing into the newly acquired nickel-sulphide, copper, cobalt assets,” said Mark Appleby, Tartisan CEO, “As we both witness and become a part of the Electric Vehicle revolution and subsequent demand for battery grade nickel.” “Tartisan will continue to seek out, acquire and develop undervalued assets as part of our overall corporate strategy.”

 

Tartisan also wishes to announce that it has settled certain debts with three consultants to the Company in the amount of $55,000 by issuing 275,000 shares at 0.20 cents.

 

About Tartisan Resources Corp.

 

Tartisan Resources Corp. is a Canadian based mineral exploration and development company which owns a 100% stake in the Don Pancho Zinc-Lead-Silver Project in Peru just 9 km from Trevali’s Santander mine and owns a 100% stake in the Ichuna Copper-Silver Project, also in Peru, contiguous to Buenaventura’s San Gabriel property. Tartisan also owns a significant equity stake (6 million shares and 3 million warrants at 40 cents) in Eloro Resources Ltd, which is exploring the low-sulphidation epithermal La Victoria Gold/Silver Project in Ancash, Peru.

 

Tartisan Resources Corp. common shares are listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE: TTC, FSE 8TA). Currently, there are 93,308,550 shares outstanding (105,142,594 fully diluted). Tartisan Resources Corp. is a member of the CSE Composite Index.

 

For further information, please contact Mr. D. Mark Appleby, President & CEO and a Director of the Company, at 416-804-0280 ([email protected]). Additional information about Tartisan can be found at the Company’s website at www.tartisanresources.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

 

Jim Steel MBA P.Geo. is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101 and has read and approved the technical content of this News Release.

 

This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

 

The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.

To view the associated document to this release, please click on the following link:
public://news_release_pdf/Tartisan02212018.pdf

Source: Tartisan Resources Corp. (CSE:TTC)

#Copper hits three-week high as dollar rally pauses, #nickel steady $LBSR $TMBXF

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:41 PM on Monday, February 5th, 2018
  • Copper hit a three-week high on Monday as the dollar rally paused and the balance of supply and demand looked to stay relatively tight
  • Dollar remained mired near three-year lows as resurgent U.S. wage inflation data failed to quell scepticism among investors about the currency’s outlook

By Maytaal Angel

LONDON, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Copper hit a three-week high on Monday as the dollar rally paused and the balance of supply and demand looked to stay relatively tight, while nickel climbed after posting its largest daily loss in two months on Friday.

The dollar remained mired near three-year lows as resurgent U.S. wage inflation data failed to quell scepticism among investors about the currency’s outlook.

U.S. payrolls on Friday showed wages growing at their fastest pace in more than eight years.

“The dollar is driving the market,” said Casper Burgering, an analyst at ABN Amro. A weaker dollar makes dollar-priced metals cheaper for non-U.S. investors.

Burgering also said that copper relative to other metals “is lagging, it’s up only 1 percent for the year. It’s undervalued because the fundamentals are really good for this year.”

COPPER, NICKEL PRICES: London Metal Exchange copper closed up 1.8 percent at $7,169 a tonne, having hit its highest since mid-January at $7,220, while nickel ended up 2.4 percent at $13,745 a tonne, having plunged 4 percent on Friday.

Some of China’s stainless steel mills, major consumers of nickel, are losing money at current prices and have already wound down their operations ahead of the week-long Chinese Lunar New Year, broker Argonaut Securities said in a report.

“We expect to see price weakness in nickel going forward,” it said.

* MARKETS: Stock markets were routed around the globe while bond yields climbed as resurgent U.S. inflation raised the possibility central banks would tighten policy more aggressively than had been expected.

* CHINA ECONOMY: China is expected to report solid growth in January trade this week, moderating inflation and renewed bank lending, but the timing of the long Lunar New Year holidays will make it difficult to determine clear trends for at least another month.

* LEAD: Lead prices took a breather from Friday’s 6-1/2 year top, ending down 1 percent at $2,652. Indicating nearby tightness, cash lead traded at a $17.25 a tonne premium to the three month price CMPB0-3.

* ZINC: Indicating nearby tightness, LME data showed one entity holds 80 to 90 percent of zinc warrants, cash and “tom” positions <0#LME-WHT>. Zinc ended up 1.3 percent at $3,548.

* INVESTORS: Hedge funds and money managers cut their net “long” or buy position in COMEX copper in the week to Jan. 30, data showed.

* ALUMINIUM: Russian aluminium maker Rusal estimates that China’s winter capacity cuts will curb output by 1 million tonnes annually. Aluminium ended up 0.1 percent at $2,211.

* TIN: Tin ended up 1.8 percent at $21,920.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/global-metals/metals-copper-hits-three-week-high-as-dollar-rally-pauses-nickel-steady-idUSL8N1PV30M

Goldman $GS has more good news for #copper, #zinc price $LBSR $TMBXF

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:07 PM on Thursday, January 4th, 2018
Frik Els | about 16 hours ago

  • While it’s pulled back a bit since New Year, the price of copper ended 2017 near a four-year high of $3.30 a pound ($7,260 per tonne)
  • Extending the bull run in the red metal for a second year
  • Measured from its multi-year lows struck at the beginning of 2016, copper has gained more than 70% in value
Zinc ingots shown (Image: Glencore)

The rally for zinc has been even more spectacular with the metal, mainly used to galvanize steel, ending 2017 at a decade high of $3,330 a tonne. Zinc has more than doubled in value after a slump that ended around the same time copper hit bottom two years ago.

Reuters quotes investment bank Goldman Sachs as saying zinc demand looks rosy for the first half of the year while the New York-based firm prefers copper over aluminum over the longer term:
“Concern about a sharp slowdown in metals demand as the country adopts a new ‘quality over quantity’ growth model may be overblown”

“Concern about a sharp slowdown in metals demand as the country adopts a new ‘quality over quantity’ growth model may be overblown,” it said, adding that metal producers outside China are set to gain.

“Ongoing supply-side reforms and environmental cuts in China translate into higher commodity prices and less Chinese production, both of which benefit ex-China producers.”

Shipments of copper concentrate to China hit a monthly record of 1.78m tonnes in November and the tally for the year should beat last year’s record 17m tonnes.

Refined copper imports are trending down with recently released data showing cargoes are down some 5% over the first 11 months of 2017 to 4.24m tonnes compared to the same period in 2016. Full year imports in 2016 hit a record 4.94m tonnes.

Zinc is benefitting from historically tight supply with inventories in LME-approved warehouses down 70& since September 2015 to just under 181,000 tonnes. Stocks in warehouses monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange at 68,630 tonnes are down 65 percent since March last year according to Reuters:

“Demand growth is decent, but not spectacular from a historical perspective, which tells me this is once again a supply side issue,” said Bernstein analyst Paul Gait.

“Years of under-investment have caught up. We could see a further price acceleration in the short term, but current levels should generate sufficient capital inflows to generate new supply to meet demand.”

Chinese zinc imports jumped to above 573,000 tonnes in the first 11 months of last year, up 43% from the same period of the previous year.

Source: http://www.mining.com/goldman-good-news-copper-zinc-price/