Treatment charges (TCs) for spot zinc concentrate continued to rise in March with deals over the $300-per-tonne mark made for clean cargoes.
Fastmarkets assessed spot zinc concentrate TCs basis cif Asia-Pacific at $270-305 per tonne last month, up by $55 per tonne from $215-250 per tonne in February.The rise took place amid large tonnages being offered into the Chinese market and with a wide spread in deals for clean cargoes.Deals for Antamina zinc concentrate were reported to Fastmarkets in separate deals ranging in TCs from $250 to $300 per tonne cif China.Similarly-prized qualities were sold as high as $330 per tonne, reflecting the continued need for some longs to trim their long positions.Lower grade or high impurity material was traded with TCs set as high as $350 per tonne."All of this production coming [into the market] is higher manganese and smelters just don't like it," a mining source said.Chinese smelters set to return in Q2Current TC levels - the highest according to Fastmarkets' records that stretch back to 2014 - may not...