A shortage of tin concentrates and strong demand is resulting in a surge in Chinese tin prices to levels well above LME prices. Latest spot prices in the Shanghai area quoted by the Antaike research company were RMB 149,000 – 152,000/tonne (US$19,700 – 20,100/tonne) yesterday.
According to a report by Dow Jones in Shanghai late last week, the Chinese spot market is likely to remain tight through September as a result of strong demand from the electronics and glass industries. "Before the National Day holiday (starting from October 1), we won’t have anything to sell in Shanghai," said a sales manager with Yunnan Tin Co., China’s biggest tin producer. Due to the need to meet its long-term contracts with glass producers, the company didn’t have anything to sell to the spot market for about two weeks, according to the sales manager. Traders said supply in east China, the country’s economic hub, is especially tight now, putting pressure on supplies in other regions.
The disparity between domestic and LME prices is likely to result in reduced exports and increased imports in the next few months. In the first seven months of the year China exported 17,839 tonnes of tin and imported 3,374 tonnes, although export volumes peaked in March/April and have declined since.
