Spot treatment charges (TCs) for zinc concentrates rose in January with the market continuing to trade at prices significantly higher than $200 per tonne.
Fastmarkets assessed TCs for spot zinc concentrates at $210-240 per tonne on Friday January 25, up from $210-230 per tonne last month, reflecting a rise in the number of deals made at higher prices and a wider spread in trades.The spot zinc concentrate market remained unsettled. Deals were reported to Fastmarkets on terms as high as $270 per tonne, indicating how difficult it has become to place material that is even slightly complex in chemistry.But TCs for the majority of deals for clean concentrates remained in the low $200s per tonne. Market participants maintained individually that trading in the market was thin, but significant volumes of business were reported to Fastmarkets.Chinese smelters, the only end-buyers in today's spot market, were toning down their purchases ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, starting on February 4-5.With the power in market negotiations having switched strongly to the buy-side, smelters were trying to...