European zinc premiums have gone up slightly for 2018 contracts compared with a year ago, multiple sources told Metal Bulletin, citing an increase in transportation costs.
In 2018, the bulk of European deals were settled at premiums of $135-150 per tonne on a duty-paid fca basis via Rotterdam and Antwerp, while delivered premiums in Italy for long-term contracts were around $190-210 per tonne, according to Metal Bulletin's assessment. Zinc premiums, which are the cost of delivery and insurance paid on top of the London Metal Exchange price for immediate delivery of metals, have always been negotiated between buyers and sellers because the LME price is fixed and cannot be negotiated for physical metal deals. The negotiation for...