Zinc concentrate treatment charges (TCs) continued its upward trend in August with smelters reluctant to accept lower offers, while lead concentrate TCs fell sharply in response to supply tightness.
Fastmarkets assessed the
zinc spot concentrate TCs, cif China at $170-190 per tonne on Friday August 28, rising by $5 from the previous range of $165-185 per tonne at the end of July.
Offers of zinc concentrates came in at lower levels in the $140s to $160s but Chinese buyers were not interested at these levels, market participants reported.
The lower offers reflected an anticipated reversal in zinc TC terms in the month of September, especially after
production was suspended at the San Crist??bal mine in Bolivia. Minera San Crist??bal halted production at the site indefinitely on August 24 due to local Covid-19 infections.
The suspension at the 225,000-tonne per...