INTERVIEW: Short supply hits US tin trading

Brian Helsel, president of the American Tin Trade Association, tells Fastmarkets how he foresaw the recent squeeze on tin markets last year, recalls a turbulent time for trading and discusses the outlook for the metal.

There were many pings in the background on a frenetic trading day for Brian Helsel, president of the American Tin Trade Association, when he spoke to Fastmarkets about a tin shortage unlike any of recent years - and one felt particularly acutely in the United States.
It was the end of a long week in the tin trade. By Friday February 19, the tin cash price had made its greatest weekly rise in 13 years, up by 16%. The price was near a peak on the London Metal Exchange at $29,349 per tonne, while an exceptionally large backwardation developed within the week - the tomorrow/next-day spread was as wide as $600 per tonne on February 16.
In the US, premiums for those taking physical delivery of tin were at record levels and heading higher. "It's crazy," Helsel said.

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