Metals: LME Zinc inventories rise – ING

LME Zinc inventories grow, Copper inventories go down by quite a bit, ING’s commodity strategists Ewa Manthey and Warren Patterson note.

The lowest net longs for Copper in more than half a year

“LME Zinc inventories increased by 23,625 tonnes (the biggest daily addition since 22 November 2023) to 263,150 tonnes yesterday - the highest since 3 April 2024. The majority of the inflows were reported from warehouses in Singapore. On-warrant stocks reported gains after falling for four consecutive sessions, rising by 23,675 tonnes to 238,475 tonnes yesterday.”

“In Copper, recent statements from BHP suggest that the main union at the Escondida Copper mine in Chile declined to resume talks following a new company invitation to reach an agreement. The company said it initiated the demobilization of striking workers and activated contingency plans. Meanwhile, the mine workers who are not part of the negotiation are able to continue working.”

“The latest LME COTR report shows that investors decreased their net bullish position for Copper by 6,681 lots to 59,385 lots for the week ending 9 August 2024. This is the lowest net longs for Copper since the week ending 26 January 2024, following a weak demand outlook. A similar move has been seen in aluminium, with speculators decreasing their net bullish bets by 1,960 lots for a sixth consecutive week to 96,543 lots over the last reporting week.”