Zinc concentrate treatment charges rose from an 18-month low in June 2020, with market shorts facing less of a rush to cover positions on the spot market.
Fastmarkets' price assessment for
zinc spot concentrate TC, cif China, was $160-180 per tonne on Friday June 26, up from $155-170 per tonne at the end of May.
Spot supply of concentrates remained limited to just a few mines, predominantly in Australia and Eritrea, while signs concerning Peru's potential to export were mixed.
Santander shutdown
Late on Friday, Canadian mining company Trevali announced that it had
suspended operations at its Santander zinc mine in Peru after workers there tested positive for Covid-19. The mine produced roughly 60,000 tonnes of zinc concentrates during 2019.
The shutdown came as market concerns heightened about the ability of several South American countries to contain the Covid-19 pandemic and to avoid supply disruptions.
In neighboring Chile,
state-owned copper producer Codelco stopped smelting and reduced refining activity by two-thirds at its Chuquicamata operations because of a Covid-19 outbreak there.
Antamina pickup
Still, a return...