European antimony market unlikely to fall

Because antimony is in tight supply and the reason behind is explosive control from Chinese government, many European market participants believe price will not decrease in the coming few months.

A European trader sold a container of 99.65%min standard grade two antimony ingot in the end of last week to a central European consumer at USD6,520/t in warehouse Rotterdam with less than 30-day payment terms. He holds that there is still not much prompt material available in warehouse Rotterdam.

He revealed to Asian Metal that the lowest offer received from China was USD6,450/t CIF Rotterdam last week, and he had the feeling that the Chinese producers are not willing to sell the material.

The trader takes that the demand in Europe is lower than the same period of last year because consumers are not willing to accept high prices, and they wait to the last kilogram of their stock before they come to market. However, with the Chinese low supplies, he is convinced that price will continue to surge.

Another European trader holds that the mainstream price for 99.65%min grade two antimony ingot with bismuth content less than 100ppm is selling in the range of USD6,450-6,500/t in warehouse Rotterdam, and standard grade two antimony ingot is selling at USD6,400-6,450/t in warehouse Rotterdam. According to him, the new offers from China, on CIF basis are about USD70-80/t, including port fee and bank interest, cheaper than the price of material in Rotterdam for prompt release.

He holds that demand is reasonable in Europe, and Chinese governmental control of explosives will keep supply tight through the summer. Although many consumers threaten to leave antimony market for substitute, the trader believes it will not happen easily in short term. Therefore, price of antimony will remain in a high level in the third quarter of 2008, and fall in the end of the year.

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Chinese antimony market climbs up slightly

The price of antimony ingot climbs up slightly with most of the deals concluded at around RMB42,000/t ex works early this week. However, suppliers still receive few inquiries from domestic buyers.

A Jiangxi-based smelter with a monthly production capacity of around 100 tons concluded around 20 tons of regular grade-two antimony ingot at RMB42,000/t ex works last week and another 20 tons at RMB41,500-42,000/t two weeks ago.

The source puts the mainstream price of regular grade-two antimony ingot at RMB42,000-RMB42,500/t early this week, up from RMB41,500-42,000/t last week. "The price seems to go up slightly this week, while we still receive few inquiries currently. We are not sure to what extent it will increase on a current market situation."

A South China-based trader concluded a small-volume deal at the price a little bit higher than RMB42,000/t last week. "Even though the price continues to go up, inquiries from buyers remain few," said the source.

Another South China-based smelter with a monthly production capacity of around 200 tons has not concluded any deals for about two weeks due to low inquiries from buyers. However, he puts the mainstream price of regular grade-two antimony ingot at RMB42,000-42,500/t. "Most of the deals were concluded at around RMB42,000/t and quotations from suppliers have already reached RMB42,300-42,500/t last week."

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Chinese spot magnesium prices extend gains despite mixed views

Hong Kong, May 20 (Platts) - Spot prices for Chinese pure magnesium strengthened further this week with prices ranging at $5,800-5,950/mt FOB China, an upswing compared to $5,600-5,700/mt FOB China quoted a week ago, industry sources said Tuesday.

The market sentiment was mixed among producers and traders in China. Some said prolonged rising raw material prices amid strong domestic demand drove prices up further while others expected prices to retreat soon due to a lack of fundamental support.

One Chinese producer said he heard spot deals in China recently being concluded as high as $6,000-6,100/mt FOB China. "Despite the small export quantity, some spot material was sold at much higher prices," he said. "I believe what is driving prices higher is stronger domestic demand especially from those domestic magnesium powder and alloy producers." He added that his company was now more focused on doing domestic sales. "We favor selling our material domestically as costs on export are higher with the 10% export tariff," he said.

Another producer said spot deals were being concluded at around $5,800/mt FOB China. "Ferrosilicon prices in particular have been strong on concern about the material delivery after the Sichuan earthquake, which in turn triggers higher magnesium prices," he said. Ferrosilicon is a key material used in magnesium production. Local traders said current ferrosilicon prices were quoted at around Yuan 9,000 ($1,290)/mt ex-plant.

A source close to Chinese producers, however, said that major producers in China had expansion plans this year. "With more expected output in the near future, prices should stabilise soon or begin to go down... Some producers raise their offer prices to about $5,800-5,900/mt FOB China to make better profits," he said.

According to industry sources, domestic magnesium prices were quoted at Yuan 35,000-36,000/mt, up from Yuan 34,000-34,500/mt ex-plant quoted a week ago.

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Lead Declines to Lowest in a Year as Stockpiles Grow 42 Percent

May 20 (Bloomberg) - Lead fell to the lowest in almost a year in London as a 42 percent increase in stockpiles in 2008 suggests supply will move into surplus this quarter, from a deficit previously. Aluminum and zinc also dropped.

Lead inventories monitored by the London Metal Exchange have swollen to 64,450 metric tons, the highest since Sept. 25, 2006. The market is moving into a surplus of 40,000 tons this quarter, from a shortfall in the first three months, according to Gayle Berry, an analyst at Barclays Capital in London.

The metal's decline was "a reaction to continued stock build in recent months," Berry said today by phone. Barclays is among 12 companies that trade on the LME floor.

Lead for delivery in three months lost as much as $96, or 4.3 percent, to $2,135 a ton, the lowest since May 25, 2007. It traded at $2,170 a ton as of 4:45 p.m. local time.

Lead, mainly used in car batteries, has lost 16 percent this year, the most among all LME-traded metals. Declining prices will dent sales at producers including Stockholm-based Boliden AB, whose shares have tumbled 10 percent this year.

Purchases in China, the largest user, have slowed this year as buyers wait for the government to release rules in June on the use of electric bicycles, Berry said. Such batteries account for about 20 percent of the nation's lead usage, Berry said.

Zinc slipped for a second day, falling 1 percent to $2,265 a ton on speculation lost production from last week's earthquake in China will be less than initially expected.

Quake Damage

Chinese output may drop by 60,000 tons this year because of smelter damage, Beijing Antaike Information Development Co. said today. The nation will produce 4.06 million tons in 2008, according to Antaike's estimate prior to the May 12 tremor.

"People are now able to assess the damage done by the Chinese earthquake," Thomas Benedix, an analyst at Tiberius Asset Management AG, said today by phone from Stuttgart, Germany. "The uncertainty premium has disappeared." Tiberius, a commodities money manager, has a total of $1.6 billion of funds under management.

The surplus of zinc, used to galvanize steel, will total 700,000 tons this year, according to London-based researcher CRU. LME-tracked zinc stockpiles have swollen 61 percent in the past year to 128,225 tons.

Aluminum lost $25, or 0.8 percent, to $2,970 a ton.

LME-monitored aluminum stockpiles expanded 22,175 tons, or 2.1 percent, to 1.06 million tons, the LME said today in a daily report. The figure is the highest since May 28, 2004. All of the increase took place in Mobile, Alabama. The U.S. is the world's second-largest aluminum producer after China.

Copper Prices

Copper added $5 to $8,320 a ton on the LME. The contract for July delivery increased 0.2 percent to $3.802 a pound on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange during after- hours electronic trade.

Stockpiles of copper monitored by the LME dropped 75 tons, or 0.1 percent, to 122,650 tons, according to exchange data. About 14 percent of the inventories are earmarked for withdrawal.

Santiago-based Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, yesterday said its new $1 billion Gabriel Mistral mine probably will produce 84,000 tons of refined metal this year, expanding to full annual capacity of 150,000 tons by 2009.

Contract workers at Codelco don't plan any more protests since they are getting bonus payments, Claudio Valenzuela, a spokesman for the Confederation of Copper Workers, said today by phone from the Chilean capital. The union organized a 20-day protest that started in April, which resulted in suspension at three Codelco mines.

Nickel dropped $100, or 0.4 percent, to $26,000 a ton. Tin fell $201, or 0.8 percent, to $23,799.

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Zinc Declines in Asia as Supply Little Changed by Earthquake

May 21 (Bloomberg) - Zinc declined on the London Metal Exchange on expectations that output cuts in China after last week's earthquake would have little effect on global supply.

Production may drop by 60,000 metric tons, or 1.5 percent of this year's estimated output, because of smelter damage, Beijing Antaike Information Development Co. said yesterday. The May 12 quake in Sichuan, China's strongest in 58 years, halted some metals production in the region.

"It's time to sell," said Cai Jie, a trader at Minmetals Starfutures Co., by phone from Shenzhen today. "Zinc is heavily oversupplied, so the estimated loss could hardly change fundamentals."

The metal, used to galvanize steel, will have a surplus of 215,000 metric tons this year after global production expanded, the International Lead and Zinc Study Group said April 24.

Zinc for delivery in three months on the London exchange fell as much as 1.8 percent to $2,235 a ton and traded at $2,240 at 3:00 p.m. in Shanghai. The contract jumped 9.8 percent last week, the biggest weekly gain since November, on concern the quake would disrupt supplies.

Zinc for July delivery fell 2.1 percent to close at 18,120 yuan ($2,603) on the Shanghai Futures Exchange. The special metal for immediate delivery in Changjiang, Shanghai's biggest cash market, traded between 18,200 and 18,850 yuan a ton today.

"Physical buying was very poor as China's government credit tightening curbed demand," said Cai.

Zinc Mining

Chinese zinc miners in Sichuan province have halted ore production on government orders after the quake, according to researcher CBI China Co. Lead miners in the region are almost certain to have halted too, according to Beijing Antaike Information Development Co.

Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu together produce around 20 percent of the nation's zinc and lead concentrate, 20 percent of the nation's refined zinc yet very little of the lead metal.

Still, "halted mining in the quake region is having a limited impact as domestic ore supplies are quite ample and prices of imports are attractive," said Zhu Yiman, a CBI analyst from Shanghai.

Shanghai copper declined 1 percent to close at 62,330 yuan and Shanghai aluminum fell 1.7 percent to 18,950 yuan.

Among other LME traded metals, copper was down 0.6 percent to $8,278 a ton, aluminum slid 0.4 percent to $2,986, nickel was unchanged at $26,000, lead fell 1.2 percent to $2,144.75, and tin was down 0.1 percent to $23,650.

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Flame Retardants Master Batch

Flame Retardants Master Batch

Application & Features:

This series products (ABS, HIPS, PP, PE etc) choose import flame-retardant. After elaborate compound, it has not only reliable fire-proofness, but also sound dispersion function and matrix resin affinity, excellent movability-resistance and ultraviolet stability. It is widely used in the flame-retardant & coloration of various products from light colour to deep colour, e.g. TV set, other electric appliance casing, power switch, auto inner ornaments, indoor decorating material etc.

Main Technical Index:

NO	Item	Technical Index
1	Outer appearance	Equal in size,colour&luster
2	Fire-proofness	V-0< 、 V-1 、 V-2 、 HB
3	Movability-resistance	≥ 4 级
4	Uitraviolet stability	Ordinary,sound,excellent

Recommended mixture proportion

（ Decided by flame-retardant requirements and resin varieties. ） (1:3, 1:20)

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Premier Wen calls for nationwide efforts in rescue, relief after "most destructive" quake since 1949

Special report: Strong Earthquake Jolts SW China  

·Rescue operation and disaster relief are of top priority of the nation, Premier Wen said.
·"Saving lives is still our top priority, as long as hope of survival still exists."
·He said supplies of food, medicines, and tents must be ensured.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao greets local people during an inspection in Muyu Township of Qingchuan County, one of the worst-hit area of Guangyuan City in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 15, 2008. Wen is here to oversee rescue work and visit survivors.(Xinhua/Tao Ming) Photo Gallery>>>

    CHENGDU, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Rescue operation and disaster relief for victims in the worst earthquake over decades are of top priority of the nation, and thus require concerted efforts from the whole country, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said Thursday night.

    Monday's 7.8-magnitude earthquake that ravaged southwestern Sichuan Province and was felt in most parts of the country was the "most destructive" tremor and had the "most wide-spreading impact" since New China was founded in 1949, Wen said on a meeting of the rescue headquarters under the State Council headed by himself.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) comforts local people in Muyu Township, Qingchuan County, southwest China's Sichuan Province May 15, 2008. Qingchuan County is one of the worst-hit areas in Sichuan Province. Premier Wen is here to oversee rescue work and visit survivors. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) Photo Gallery>>>

    It was even more powerful than the Tangshan earthquake in 1976,Wen said. The catastrophe in northern Hebei Province claimed about240,000 lives three decades ago.

    He hailed the efficiency and order the country has maintained for the past 80 hours as the country focused its resources on saving lives and disaster relief work for quake victims.

    He said the government will stick to its "people-first" policy in its future rescue operations and reconstruction works.

A mother deadly cries after knowing her child lost life in the devastating earthquake in Sichuan Province May 15, 2008. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) Photo Gallery>>>

    "Saving lives is still our top priority, as long as hope of survival still exists," Wen said, urging that social stability to be maintained.

    He warned relevant authorities to pay special attention to the prevention of plagues.

    He said supplies of food, medicines, and tents must be ensured.

    More than 50,000 people are feared dead in Sichuan alone after Monday's earthquake, with confirmed death toll in the province hitting 19,509 by Thursday afternoon.

Emotional premier moves Chinese amid quake effort

    BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Few things other than stories of victims rescued following China's most deadly earthquake in 32 years would touch the Chinese heart now. But the emotional Premier Wen Jiabao did. Full Story

Premier continues inspection in quake-hit Guangyuan

    BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived at Guangyuan City in southwest China's Sichuan Province here Thursday morning. Wen spent three hours by ship to go to Muyu Township, Qingchuan County, one of the worst-hit area of Guangyuan City to oversee rescue work and visit survivors. Full Story

Premier orders deployment of 90 more helicopters for quake relief

    BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has ordered the armed forces and civil aviation department to deploy 90 more helicopters for rescue missions in quake-hit Sichuan province. Full Story

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British seismologist explains cause of earthquake in Sichuan

Special report: Strong Earthquake Jolts SW China 

    LONDON, May 12 (Xinhua) -- A magnitude 7.8 earthquake which occurred on Monday in China's Sichuan province appears to have been due to thrusting on a NE-SW fault, a seismoligist here said.

    "Today's earthquake appears to have been due to thrusting on a NE-SW fault," Dr Brian Baptie at British Geological Survey (BGS) told Xinhua in an telephone interview.

    The epicenter was in the mountains of the Eastern Margin of Qing-Tibet Plateau and the tectonics are related to the India-Tibet collision and subsequent extrusion, the BGS Seismic Monitoring and Information Service Project leader explained.

    The seismologist held the view that earthquakes of this size have the potential to cause extensive damage and loss of life many tens of kilometers from the epicenter, though damage in Chengdu was slight.

    China frequently suffers large and deadly earthquakes, he noted, citing for example that the 1933 August 25 Diexi earthquake, occurred about 90 kilometers NNE of today's earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.5, destroying the town of Diexi and surrounding villages, and causing many landslides, some of which dammed the rivers.

    Baptie warned that landslides may likely for today's earthquake.

    According to latest reports, over 7,651 people have been killed by the earthquake in Sichuan province, which occurred 92 kilometers northwest of the city of Chengdu in Sichuan province and over 1,500 kilometers from Beijing where it was strongly felt.   

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Expert: Wenchuan earthquake as huge as Tangshan earthquake in 1976

BEIJING, May 13 -- The strength of this earthquake is being compared to the destructive force of the Tangshan earthquake in 1976 which killed tens of thousands. Seismologists are urging calm and telling the public not to believe rumors about more earthquakes.

    Jiang Haikun says the energy from the Wenchuan earthquake was as huge as the Tangshan earthquake in 1976, which killed 240,000 people.

    Jiang Haikun, China Seismological Network Center, said, "The strength of the earthquake is big and it has released a huge amount of energy so that many parts of the country felt the quake."

    He emphasized that Beijing did not experience a separate earthquake.

    Jiang Haiku said, "The quake we felt in Beijing today was not a separate earthquake. It was just the aftershocks from the Wenchuan earthquake in the afternoon."

    Jiang Haikun also says his center's research shows China and its neighbors are currently in a relatively-active period for earthquakes.

    Jiang Haiku said, "For example, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake occurred in Japan recently. On the Chinese mainland, a 6.9 magnitude quake took place in Tibet in January, while March saw a 7.3 magnitude quake in Yutian in Xinjiang and now we have a 7.8 magnitude quake in Wenchuan. So at the moment there is a trend of earthquakes in China's mainland and its neighboring countries."

    He also urged residents not to trust rumors they heard. He stressed no destructive earthquake near Beijing is likely to occur in the near future.

    (Source: CCTV.com)

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Contribute to Wenchuan earthquake relief efforts

Wednesday, 14th May 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

Editor's note: We have received many queries from readers about how they can contribute to the earthquake relief efforts in Wenchuan and elsewhere in Sichuan, here is information on how to help, courtesy of Shanghaiist:

For those who are looking to contribute to current aid efforts underway, you can now donate money to the Red Cross Society of China which has formed a disaster relief working group to be dispatched to the earthquake-stricken Wenchuan County in Sichuan.

They have also published an emergency relief hotline, along with bank account information to receive donations to assist their cause:

Account name: Red Cross Society of China
开户单位：中国红十字会总会

For those who want to donate in RMB: you can send money to the RMB account at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China branch below:
人民币开户行: 中国工商银行 北京分行东四南支行
人民币账号: 0200001009014413252

For those who want to donate in foreign currency, you can send money to the foreign currency account at the CITIC Bank branch below:
外币开户行：中信银行酒仙桥支行
外币账号: 7112111482600000209

Hotline: (8610) 65139999
Online donations: Red Cross Society of China website: www.redcross.org.cn
Click the tab for online donations

Tags: donations, earthquake, Red Cross, Shanghaiist, Sichuan, Wenchuan

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Sichuan Wenchuan Earthquake

 

Prime Minister Wen Jiabao is visiting the area

Like many people in the UK, the team at BBC Learning English have been shocked and saddened by news of the earthquake in Sichuan province. We would like to extend our condolences to those affected by this terrible natural disaster. Below is a special report on the earthquake and the rescue operations taking place.

和在英国的很多人一样，BBC 英语教学组的全体成员对五月十二号发生在四川省的地震消息感到震惊和悲痛。在这里我们对受害者表示最深切的哀悼，向那些受地震影响的人们深表同情。下面是对这次地震和地震营救行动的一篇特别报道。

---

Rescue efforts are underway in China's Sichuan province following Monday's devastating earthquake 灾难性的地震, which measured 7.9 on the Richter Scale 里氏震级.

According to Xinhua news agency, nearly 15,000 people have died in the disaster, with as many as 24,000 more trapped under rubble 碎石，碎砖 from collapsing buildings and another 14,000 declared missing 申报失踪.

Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has visited the area to personally oversee relief work （抗震）救灾工作, and is flying to the epicentre 震中 of the earthquake today.

Chinese troops have been mobilised 调动 to carry out rescue operations and emergency aid 紧急救护 has been air-dropped 空降 into areas that have been cut off by the disaster.

Bad weather has hampered 阻碍 relief efforts and in some cases rescuers have had to trek into the disaster area 受灾地区 by foot and search for trapped survivors 生还者 by hand as roads have been blocked by debris 瓦砾碎片.

Some residents of the provincial capital 首府 Chengdu have chosen to sleep in tents and government shelters for fear of aftershocks 余震 causing more damage.

One witness in Chengdu told the BBC the city's population is helping the relief work by donating 捐献 food and water for those affected in the surrounding countryside.

Financial aid 经济救助 has been pouring in 大量涌进 from all over China, with the Chinese government pledging hundreds of millions of dollars. Substantial donations from other countries and humanitarian organisations have also been pledged 承诺，给予（援助）.

Although full casualty figures 伤亡数字 are not yet certain, it is clear that Monday's earthquake is the worst to strike China since the Tangshan earthquake of 1976.

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My Compatriots are in danger, plz help!

Thank you so much my friends who cares me and the other chinese.  Many many thanks for those who asked me if I'm ok, I live in Shanghai, in east coast of China where is almost not affected by the earthquake on May.12

BUT, millions of other Chinese live in Sichuan are now extremely suffering from the disaster, all I can see in the TV is that the situation is terrible, plz plz everyone just pray for those who are still not rescued and do something for the victims.

If you wanna donate for them, below is the link of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, PLZ help!  Thank you!

http://www.ifrc.org/what/disasters/response/sichuan-earthquake/index.asp

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Earthquake Hits Britain

The Biggest Tremor in 25 Years 二十五年来最强烈的地震

	The earthquake came as a surprise to people in Britain

On 27th February 2008, something very unusual happened in the UK; there was a rather large earthquake.

It was the biggest earthquake in 25 years in the UK. There have been very small tremors in the past but they pale into insignificance compared to this one.

It was felt in a large area across the country too, from as far north as Edinburgh in Scotland to as far south as Plymouth on the south coast of England.

The epicentre of the earthquake was in a small town in Lincolnshire, which is an area about two and a half to three hours north of London by car. A magnitude of 5.2 was registered on the Richter scale.

There were lots of reports in the news from people who felt the earth move. One man said, "We had loads of vibrating and wall shaking and stuff, noise coming off the roof. I came outside – the chimney's on the floor!"

A collapsed chimney was the cause of what was probably the worst injury from the earthquake; a man broke his pelvis when the chimney fell on him.

Another man who spoke to the BBC described the moment the earthquake occured, "Everything was shaking. As soon as it happened we all went outside and saw everyone else down the street, coming out and just realised it was an earthquake."

The huge rumble, that was felt by a lot of people, surprisingly caused very little structural damage to property.

Most British people would be surprised to learn that there are 200-300 earthquakes in Britain every year, but most of them are so small, they go unnoticed.

The magnitude of this earthquake is fairly small in comparison to some other natural disasters that have made international news, but for the people affected, it certainly came as quite a surprise.

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Chinese companies squeezed by electrolytic manganese export tariff

Unforged manganese, manganese scraps and powder, some other kinds of manganese and products made of manganese were put in Promulgating Catalog of Commodities under Administration of Export License, according to the latest announcement by the Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs.

This is another policy adopted by the government to regulate the industry of electrolytic manganese, following the 15 per cent export tariff on unforged manganese that began on Nov. 1, 2006. At the present, price of electrolytic manganese are surging, with a lot of contract-breaching on the market. And at the same time manganese companies are finding ways to export electrolytic manganese without paying the tariff. smm.Com.Cn

The export tariff levied since Jan. 1, 2006 heats the market of electrolytic manganese a lot. At the beginning, the buyers and sellers could not reach agreements on the prices of electrolytic manganese and this made lots of signed contract with the goods unshipped called off. But with the new year approaching, many buyers were starting to accept the prices which are raised from 1260-US$1280 per ton (FOB) to 1500-US$1550 per ton (FOB). 有色金属行业网站 www.smm.cn

Since Dec. 2006, the domestic prices of electrolytic manganese are surging again, because the supply of it are insufficient, especially the supply from Huaheng of Hunan and Xiushang of Chongqing, which are the top two source of manganese. Domestic sellers lift their prices to 1750-1800 US dollars pre ton (FOB) but the buyers abroad did not accepted them. The market depressed again. An analyst from Umetal.net notes that Chinese sellers may raise their prices again with the administration rules specified and the battle on prices will start again. 

According to the statistics of China customs, the production and exports of unforged manganese are affected seriously since Nov. last year. Many enterprises stopped exporting and the volume of manganese exports and the number of export enterprises decreased a lot. Unforged manganese exports in November is 2.4 tons and US$31.68 million, down by 2.7 per cent and 12.9 per cent year on year. Many large producers in Hunan province (the main place in China the manganese exported come from) stops exporting in November. For instance, Eastern Manganese Group Co. Ltd, once the top manganese export enterprise under administration of Changsha Customs, with a production capacity of 3500 tons had done no exports in Nov.

Nowadays, breaching contract in manganese industry is very popular, because plenty of companies would gain nothing, if they carry the original contract out. Such as, the contracts with shipping date after Nov. 1 about 70 per cent of which cannot be performed as prescribed. Many small enterprises with incapability to execute the contract breached them. Only a few huge enterprises performed their contract, protecting their enterprises' reputation.

Besides raising their prices, many companies try to haven the tariff in producing manganese. There are mainly two ways to avoid tariff: One is to export manganese as manganese and aluminium alloy. They first produce pure electrolytic manganese and then blend the manganese and aluminium together, which contains 85 per cent of manganese, 15 per cent of aluminium, in a way of forging them into some shapes. When they declare customs, they use such names as manganese and aluminium, manganese and aluminium additive, manganese and aluminium briquette, and so on. In this way, they get 13 per cent tax reimbursement tariff free. So such exporting is expanding quickly.

Another way is to export manganese in the form of manganese-iron alloy. In the process of producing manganese, they add iron to manganese, which makes the manganese contain only 4-5 per cent of iron. In clearing customs they use the name of manganese-iron alloy and they only pay 10 per cent tariff. Foreign buyers are likely to accept it because of its higher purity.

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Antimony prices hold high

BEIJING (Asian Metal) 4 May 08 – Supported by the high price in European spot market, antimony ingot price keeps firm in China. The tight supply of antimony concentrate is also considered as one of the factors leading to the strong market.
"As Chinese government is enhancing the control of dynamite for safety concern, many small mines were forced to close, and thus the supply of antimony is tightening," a Hunan-based antimony ingot producer said. "Therefore, antimony ingot producers insist on high offers of the material for fear that they cannot get enough raw material for production in the following two months."
The source, who concluded a few deals at RMB38,000-38,100/t (USD5,429-5,443/t) VAT excluded for standard grade-two antimony ingot, is currently offering RMB38,300/t (USD5,471/t) VAT excluded for the material.
The smelter is operating according to antimony concentrate obtained and holds 50-60t of antimony ingot in stock. With an optimistic attitude towards the future market, the source is not hurried to sell at the moment.
Another trader from East China also attributed the firm price of antimony ingot to the short supply of raw material. Additionally, the strong market in Europe also strengthens Chinese producers' confidence about a bullish market.
The source reported that many producers are holding on for higher prices and thus he has difficulty replenishing stocks at a reasonable price. "Some producers quote as high as RMB42,000/t (USD6,000/t) ex works for standard grade-two antimony ingot," said the source who put the mainstream price at RMB41,000-41,300/t (USD5,857-5,900/t) ex works.
Confirming that the raw material supply is getting tighter owing to the control of dynamite, the source predicted that the market would keep at the current high level in the near term.

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Antimony trioxide export prices up

BEIJING (Asian Metal) 5 May 08 - Stimulated by higher production cost and the appreciation of Chinese currency, suppliers raise export offers of antimony trioxide to USD5,350-5,400/t FOB Chinese main ports from USD5,300-5,350/t FOB seen late April. Meanwhile, products with famous brand such as Twinkling Star are being offered at USD5,450-5,500/t FOB, market sources reported to Asian Metal.
A Guangdong-based trader raised export quotation to USD5,400/t FOB for antimony trioxide 99.5%min without famous brand whereas the previous deal was concluded at USD5,250/t FOB two weeks ago. The source reported that the main reasons for the price adjustment are higher purchase cost and also the depreciation of US dollar.
The source reported that demand keeps moderate from overseas market and the company exports 100- 150t of the material every month. However, the source acknowledged that many buyers are scared away by the price jump and plan to watch for a while before purchasing.
A Hong Kong-based trader also reported that the export price of antimony trioxide has been on the rise in line with the increasing market of antimony ingot. Offers received after the May Day holiday were at USD5,350-5,400/t FOB for products with common brand while the famous-branded materials were offered at USD5,450-5,500/t FOB, nearly USD100/t higher than the offers late April.
"We were told that the material is sold at RMB36,500-37,000/t (USD5,214-5,286/t) ex works in Chinese domestic market, and that's why suppliers lifted offers to USD5,400-5,450/t FOB," said the source. As the antimony ingot market is showing signs of rising further on the tight supply of antimony concentrate, the
source thinks that the antimony trioxide price will also keep at the upward trend in the near term.

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Analysis: risks ahead China's nonferrous metal industry

Worldwide economic risks and China's tight economic measures are anticipated to exert negative influence on China's nonferrous metal industry.

Credit crunch triggered by the U.S. real estate industry is passing on its influence to developing countries including China, adding risks on nonferrous metal industry from macro-economic prospective.

Influenced by credit crisis, nonferrous metals in late March ever experienced price nose-dive on international futures market.

Also affected by worldwide crisis, such preliminary products as crude oil, iron ore, copper and alumina are undergoing price rise, pushing up production cost of nonferrous metals.

Under such circumstances, international giants hasten acquisition of small metal companies, further reinforcing their monopolistic position but weakening China's enterprises weight on international market.

Domestically, the tight economic measures to be implemented this year will deteriorate the situation for nonferrous metal industry. China has lifted doorsill for entering industries related to manufacture copper, aluminum, lead, zinc, tungsten, tin and antimony in a bid to wash out backward production capacity.

Besides, other factors such as RMB appreciation and tight credit would affect the development of nonferrous industry.

Snow disaster that hit southern China this winter brought huge economic losses to nonferrous metal enterprises.

According to statistics, 28 electrolytic aluminum makers suffered more than 1.6 million tons of production capacity. A majority of nonferrous metal enterprises in Hunan province had to halt production.

Other heavyweight enterprises such as Jiangxi Copper Corporation, Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group, Daye Nonferrous Metals Company, Jingxi Tungsten Industry Group and Zunyi Titanium were all influenced production. – China Mining

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