Zinc concentrate treatment charges (TCs) rose for the second consecutive month in July after hitting a 19-month low in May, with spot availability increasing slightly.
Fastmarkets' price assessment for
zinc spot concentrate TCs, cif China was $165-185 per tonne on Friday July 31, up by $5 from
$160-180 per tonne on June 26.
Mining companies are beginning to recover lost production after Covid-19 pandemic-related lockdowns shuttered assets earlier in the year. Major miner and smelter Nexa Resources
maintained guidance for its 2021 annual zinc mine production and sales levels.
Meanwhile, Glencore said its
zinc production had risen by 3% in the first six months of 2020 in part due to higher grades at Matagami.
And in Australia, New Century has achieved what it deems commercial production at its tailings processing project,
bringing 34,500 tonnes of zinc metal in concentrate to the market during the second quarter of 2020, a 22% increase on the same period last year, it said.
"From a market perspective, despite the zinc price remaining near four-year lows, a strong decline...