[+/-] : 2-15 World antimony trioxide market rises

As Chinese suppliers were shut down in the last few weeks due to the bad weather and Chinese holiday, American market participants reported to Asian Metal that antimony trioxide is selling at higher prices than two weeks ago.
A Chinese representative located in U.S. disclosed that he is selling 99.5%min antimony trioxide at USD2.55/lb d.d.p. to American consumers, and the material shipped to U.S. ports is in the range of USD5,400-5,500/t CIF Baltimore.
According to him, the price had increased fast in America in the last two weeks that the price before Chinese New Year was at around USD2.40-2.45/lb d.d.p. and now increased by USD0.10-0.15/lb. However, he holds that the price will not go up further because many consumers and traders have stock on hand to last about a month before the new material arrives America from China.
An official from a Eastern coast consumer reported to Asian Metal that the antimony trioxide price is about USD5,500/t CIF U.S. port for 99.5%min normal brand material, and the price had increased in the last couple of weeks. He heard the snowstorm in China, and thinks this could be the reason for increasing price.
According to him, the demand of antimony trioxide is very active in the American market. He holds that the increasing price will not affect the antimony demand as they are more focused on keeping normal production....
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[+/-] : Antimony products market stagnant-Antimony market summary Jan 21-25

Antimony market sees few activities during the week as traffic in many parts of Souch China has come to a standstill due to the infrequent heavy snow. However, most Chinese smelters hold high offers of antimony ingot and trioxide, expecting a better market after the Spring Festival.
Both major producers and small scaled smelters have been troubled by the traffic chaos, and many of them were forced to reduce or even halt production due to short supply of raw materials. Meanwhile, few concluded deals have been reported as it is hard to transport goods out of smelters to end users or ports. Considering the market supply may be tighter if more smelters stop production before the Spring Festival, many smelters take high expectations towards the market after the Spring Festival, and therefore insist on high quotations. Some major producers cease quoting and some quote as high as RMB40,000/t (USD5,548/t) ex works to keep buyers away, but limited deals were concluded at prices above RMB39,000/t (USD5,409/t) ex works. Meanwhile, small smelters in Lengshuijiang also hold the offer of around RMB37,000-37,300/t (USD5,132-5,173/t) VAT excluded, but few deals were closed due to the transportation difficulty.
Antimony trioxide producers also encounter the same problem that raw material supply is erratic and price goes higher. Therefore, many of them raise offers to RMB36,000-36,500/t (USD4,993-5,062/t) ex works. However, due to the bad traffic condition, little new business has been done during the week, and many producers are trying their best to fulfill the signed contracts, many of which were concluded at RMB34,500- 35,000/t (USD4,785-4,854/t) ex works.
Prompted by higher quotations in Chinese domestic market, temporary tight supply caused by bad traffic condition as well as appreciation of RMB, suppliers also raise export quotations of antimony ingot and trioxide greatly. Foreign buyers reported that they received higher offers of USD5,600-5,650/t CIF Rotterdam for strandard grade-two antimony ingot, USD50-100/t higher compared to two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Chinese traders continue to raise quotations of antimony trioxide to USD4,900-4,950/t FOB from USD4,850-4,900/t FOB the previous week, though few deals were reported. Meanwhile, Hsikwangshan insists on a higher offer of USD5,000/t FOB for its Twinkling Star antimony trioxide as the supply turns tigher led by short supply of raw material....
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[+/-] : China Antimony products market&supply tight affected by heavy snow

Snowstorms raging across China's Hunan Province have lasted for two weeks, making the traffic situation graver in the province. Many antimony ingot and trioxide smelters have been forced to halt production due to lack of raw materials and power shortage. Coupled with the great difficulty in conveying goods, the antimony products market has come to a standstill.

A Hunan-based antimony ingot producer, with a capacity of 3,000tpy, stopped production ahead of schedule last week due to the harsh weather. According to an official from the smelter, Hunan province suffered its coldest winter as well as the longest snowfall in record in the past 50 years. Many antimony ingot and trioxide smelters in Loudi and Yiyang, the major antimony products producing areas, closed down due to the severe weather.

Located in the mountainous area, the smelter had great difficulty in transporting raw materials in and products out. It also delayed the delivery of contracted materials as the roads are covered with snow and ice.
The smelter sold some antimony ingot at and slightly above RMB39,000/t (USD5,417/t) ex works in the middle of January and suspended quoting a week ago when the weather condition worsens. "The market is likely to stay stagnant till the middle of February when participants return from the Spring Festival holiday," said the source.
A Guangdong-based trader said that all the contracted antimony trioxide will not be delivered on time to overseas customers due to the traffic chaos. "Heavy snow has paralyzed China's traffic. Combined with the Chinese New Year travel peak, it's impossible to deliver goods from smelters to ports now," said the source

The source confirmed that the antimony products market becomes quieter as traffic condition worsens. Most smelters suspend offering and plan to sell after the Spring Festival. The source received offers of USD4,900-5,000/t FOB China for antimony trioxide late last week, USD100/t up compared to the price two weeks ago, but none of his customers would like to purchase at the increased price....
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