[+/-] : Antimony trioxide smelters plan to continue reducing output

BEIJING (Asian Metal) 3 Dec 08 – Affected by the economic crisis, antimony smelters are planning to continue reducing their output in the coming months.7

A Hunan-based antimony trioxide smelter with a monthly production capacity of around 2,000 tons revealed that they have reduced the monthly output by around 30-40% since mid-November. "We will consider continuing to reduce our output if the demand is continuously decreasing."

The smelter has been offering RMB25,500-26,000/t ex works for antimony trioxide 99.5%min since early last week. They heard that some other large smelters quote RMB24,000/t (USD3,514/t) ex works for the same materials. However, only small-sized smelters quote as low as slightly above RMB20,000/t (USD2,928/t) ex works. The source believes that the prices of antimony trioxide wereGrelatively stable in the recent two weeks as more people sent inquiries. The source said that they are trying to hold the prices at above RMB25,000/t (USD3,660/t) ex works as the price is very close to their production cost.P

As for the situation in Lengshuijiang region, the source estimated that the output of antimony ingot in this region may reduced by at least 30% this year due to many reasons, such as the freezing6weather atCthe beginning of the year, the Olympic Games and the crackdown of the illegal mines that is carrying out in the region at present. According to the source, the Lengshuijiang region has an annual production capacity of around 20,000 tons with around 1,700 tons each month. The source believes that the smelters hold few stocks on hand at present and the fundamentals of the antimony market are not as bad as people think. He explains that the supply of antimony ore and antimony ingot is still tight.

A South China-based antimony trioxide smelter with the production capacity of around 15,000 tons per annum confirmed that they also reduced their output in November by around 30%. The source stated that they will adjust the output in the coming months according to the sales volume.

The smelter produced around 12,000 tons of antimony trioxide in 2007 and the output in 2008 may be only reduced slightly by less than 10%.

The source also revealed that only large smelters hold prices of antimony trioxide 99.5%min at around RMB24,000-26,000/t (USD3,514-3,807/t) ex works, while many small smelters quote around RMB21,000-23,000/t (USD3,075-3,367/t) ex works. They still see very few deals this weekthe same as what happened in the past several weeks, but the inquiries became more in the recent two weeks.

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[+/-] : European antimony trioxide market receives some interests

BEIJING (Asian Metal) 27 Nov 08 – As some people are leaving office in the middle of December for winter holiday, the European antimony trioxide market sees some activities.
A trader source disclosed to Asian Metal that they closed a deal of 99.5%min non-brand named antimony trioxide at USD4,500/t CIF European port. And according to him, 99.65%min standard grade two antimony ingot is offered to him at USD5,200/t CIF Rotterdam. Antimony trioxide price is normally about 82-85% of the metal price, so the source holds that USD4,500/t is a reasonable price.
Prior to this deal, the source had not concluded any deal for several weeks, so he thinks there may have some interest in the market before European leaves for Christmas holiday. Due to the weak economy, most European manufacturers will have longer holidays than they normally do, so this may be the last purchase for them this year.
Another European trader also received inquiries of small volume for next January delivery. He received offers from China in the range of USD4,500-4,700/t CIF Rotterdam depending on different qualities and brand names. "Price fall fast in this month because the market remained quiet for very long time," said the trader and he takes that there is not much pressure on antimony market as other commodities because the supply of raw material, antimony concentrate, is still tight in China.
"Compare to other metals, antimony price was relatively stable in October," said the source, and he thinks we are seeing close to the end of the falling price as there are some buying activities, although inquiries are in small volume. He expects the antimony trioxide price would fall by another USD200/t before it rebounds....
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[+/-] : European antimony prices slide further

BEIJING (Asian Metal) 12 Nov 08 – Although Chinese government closed many antimony mines and smelters in Lengshuijiang areas last week, antimony prices did not stop falling. Market participants reported lower prices to Asian Metal.
A European trader disclosed that the latest offer he received from Chinese supplier was USD5,800/t CIF Rotterdam for 99.65%min low bismuth antimony ingot, and the material is about two weeks away from Rotterdam. "Most offers are in the range of USD5,800-5,900/t CIF Rotterdam, but consumers are not responding," said the source.
According to him, one of the major consumer told him two weeks ago that they would be interested when price fall below USD6,000/t, but now he is expecting price to fall below USD5,500/t. "When the market is falling, consumer adjust their target price frequently." The trader believes the closure of mines and smelters in Hunan area is not having effect, because the problem is on demand side of the market.
Another European trader is offering 99.65%min standard grade two antimony ingot at USD5,800/t CIF Rotterdam or other European port to his customers, but received no inquiries. "Market is very quiet at the moment, and many consumers are already long in stock from long-term supplies, so they are not interested in buying from spot market," the trader remarked.
He holds that the European consumers will not in spot market for the rest of the year due to the weak economy and slow demand, then they will end with some stockpiles by the end of the year and consume the inventory in the first quarter of next year. By the time of second quarter, there will be too much material available in market; therefore, he told Asian Metal that the European antimony market will not see any recover before September of 2009....
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[+/-] : Guangxi-based antimony ingot plants suspend production

Some Guangxi-based antimony plants have suspended production upon the local government's decree after the incident of some residents having been poisoned by arsenic infected water.
A Hechi-based antimony ingot smelter with a monthly production capacity of around 800 tons stated that they have suspended production since the mid of last week as the government compelled all the smelting plants to suspend production in order to carry out environment rectification. The source explained that some villagers in adjacent places to the antimony mines have tasted arsenic affected water and get poisoned, but fortunately no one was deadly hurt. "After the incident, the local government issued an order of production suspension to all the smelting plants in Guangxi province, especially in Hechi city and Nandan County," said the source and he does not know when the government will allow them to resume production.
The source expressed that the mainstream prices of antimony ingot 99.65%min is RMB40,700-41,200/t (USD5,959-6,032/t) ex works increased slightly from RMB40,500-41,000/t (USD5,930-6,003/t) ex works last week, but few deals can be seen at the moment. The smelter hold some stocks on hand, but they only concluded very few quantities of antimony ingots so far since the National Day holiday as few buyers send inquiries to them. The source believes that the market may not increase by large margins because European buyers are not as active as they did in the past several months.
Another Hechi-based antimony ingot smelter with a monthly production capacity of around 600-800 tons confirmed that that they have suspended production since last week. The source said, "All the antimony smelting plants have suspended production in Hechi city due to the arsenic infected water incident." He believes that the production suspension may last for over a month because "the milk incident" has raised the government's attention on food security and citizen's health. Government's officials dare not neglect any thing alike. They would carry out a clear investigation and strict rectification over the matter.
Concerning for the influences on the output of the antimony metal in China, the source believes the output will be obviously reduced as both Lengshuijiang-based smelting plants and some Guangxi-based plants have suspended production, but it seems that the current situation may not affect the price significantly because of the low demand from European market. "If the economy turns better in the future when demand revives, the price may increase upon tight supply of the antimony ingot."
The source puts the mainstream price of antimony ingot 99.65%min at RMB40,500-41,000/t (USD5,930-6,003/t) ex works, up from RMB40,000-40,500/t (USD5,857-5,930/t) ex last week. However, there are not many deals concluded at the monument.

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[+/-] : Antimony ingot supply tight in Lengshuijiang,Hunan

Almost all the Lengshuijiang-based antimony smelting plants and mines have suspended production and sources reported that people could hardly get antimony ingots from the region, so that suppliers increased offers accordingly though few deals are reported at present.
A Lengshuijiang-based smelter with a monthly production capacity of around 500 tons of antimony ingots revealed that he has suspended production for almost twenty days and they do not have antimony ingots to offer. "We have suspended production during the Olympic Games for around 40 days and shortly after we resumed the production, the government issued another order for the second round of suspension, so almost all the smelters produce very few amount of the metal and they have sold out their stocks so far," explained the source.
The output of antimony metal in the Lengshuijiang region takes up approximately above 40% of the total output of China. People can figure it out if the production suspension last for a while, the total supply will be greatly reduced in China, especially those sold through illegal channels to Europe.
Therefore, in view of the potential tight supply of the antimony materials, those who hold a certain amount of stocks on hand increased the quotations for antimony ingot 99.65%min to RMB38,500/t (USD5,637/t) VAT excluded ex works right after the Nation Day holiday this week, up from RMB37,500/t (USD5,490/t) VAT excluded ex works late September. The source believes that the price may only become stable in the coming days if European buyers remain inactive. However, He heard that some Chinese exporters have just increased their offers for antimony ingot 99.65%min to USD6,400/t CIF Rotterdam in the mid of this week, up from USD6,200-6,300/t CIF Rotterdam early this week; if European buyers come to make purchases at this moment, the price may continue to increase. In general, he is optimistic about the future market as the supply will become tight once more buyers come back to the market.
The source does not worry about the resumption of the production. "I know we will resume production and it is just a matter of time because antimony industry is the supporting industry in Lengshuijiang region, so that the local government will not drop the opportunity to collect more tax revenue."
Another Lengshuijiang-based smelter who has suspended production for the same period of time confirmed that many other smelters have suspended production and many of them do not have stocks on hand. The source puts the mainstream price in Lengshuijiang region is RMB38,300-38,400/t (USD5,608-5,622/t) VAT excluded ex works, up by around RMB700-800/t (USD102-117/t) from before the National Day holiday. The source has a monthly production capacity of around 400-500 tons.
The source believes that the market may become stable in the coming days as the demand from European buyers remain low, which is one of the key elements to affect the price to go up and down. For the rest of the months, the source also holds an optimistic attitude towards it because of the potential tight supply of the antimony materials. He is now looking for antimony concentrate and will purchase once he finds available antimony concentrate.

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[+/-] : Some antimony ingot suppliers increase offers

Some antimony suppliers increase their offers right after the National Day holiday during which time many illegal antimony mines in Hunan province were shut down by the government due to the safety and environment pollution problem. However, the market, in general, is quiet with suppliers receiving several inquiries for antimony ingot from buyers who are testing waters to see what the price trend is.
A Hunan-based antimony ingot smelter stated that they have received several inquiries for antimony ingot yesterday (6 October) and they quoted RMB39,000/t (USD5,710/t) VAT excluded ex works for antimony ingot 99.85%min, up from RMB38,600/t (USD5,652/t) VAT excluded ex works before the National Day holiday. They also increased their offers to RMB41,500/t (USD6,076/t) ex works for the same materials yesterday, while it was RMB41,000/t (USD6,003/t) ex works before the holiday. The smelter has an annual production capacity of around 20,000 tons.
The source stated that many mines have been shut down so that the supply of antimony concentrate will be tighter compared with the condition during the Olympic Games. Therefore, they increased offers by around RMB400-500/t (USD59-73/t). "The price may go up to some extent as many mines were closed in the past weeks, but it may finally become stable if not many buyers purchase the material."
Another Hunan-based smelter with a monthly production capacity of around 800 tons increased their offers to RMB41,500/t (USD6,076/t) ex works for antimony ingot 99.65%min yesterday, in consideration of the potential tighter supply of antimony concentrate, while they offered RMB41,000/t (USD6,003/t) ex works for the same material in the end of September.
The source believes that many smelters may increase their offers upon the closure of illegal mines, but he also indicated that demand should never be neglected. "The global economy is weakening, so that I am worried about the demand. If buyers purchase few, there is not much room for the price to go up further."

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[+/-] : European antimony trioxide market sees no activity

Lack of demand, European antimony trioxide market remained quiet this wee.
A European trader disclosed that he received an offer of 99.5%min antimony trioxide at USD5,480/t FOB China. "I think this is too expensive, and I will discuss with the producer see if I can get at least USD30/t decrease," said the source.
He disclosed to Asian Metal that European market had been very quiet lately that he had not even received one inquiry in the last few days. "Things are not going well; we will have very bad impact from American economy soon, and demand of many commodities will not be strong," the source remarked pessimistically.
Another trader confirmed the weak market in Europe that he also received no inquiry this week and offers received for both in warehouse and CIF Rotterdam had dropped. According to him, the price is around USD5,600/t in warehouse Rotterdam, and USD5,500-5,550/t CIF Rotterdam, but consumers are not interested.
He thinks that the weakening economy is driving all metal market down at the moment, and it is difficult to see price recovers this year. "There is not many supply from China because of Olympic Games, but demand in Europe is even fewer," said the trader.

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[+/-] : Antimony trioxide export market dips in China

10 Sep 08 – Chinese exporters reported few deals with the concluded price decreasing. Participants believe it is the reasonable for the adjustment of the market itself as buyers have purchased a lot in the past months.
A large South China-based trioxide smelter stated that they quote USD5,600/t FOB China for antimony trioxide 99.5%min, and the deals could be concluded at USD5,500/t FOB China, down from USD5,600-5,700/t FOB China two to three weeks ago.
The source revealed that it is very difficult to conclude deals at USD5,600/t FOB China for famous brand materials. He puts the mainstream price for all kinds of antimony trioxide at USD5,400-5,500/t FOB China this week, down by around USD100/t from two weeks ago.
Another large South China-based trioxide smelter reported several deals at USD5,500/t FOB China, down from the last deal of USD5,600/t FOB China in the end of August. "The market has been very quiet in the recent two weeks and the price decreased by around USD100/t from two weeks ago," said the source, believing that it is reasonable for the price to go down as buyers has purchased a lot in the usual quiet season in July and August. However, they still hold stocks on hand. Therefore, there are fewer inquiries from buyers now than in August.

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[+/-] : Chinese antimony trioxide market drops

10 Sep 08 – Chinese antimony market drops this week as buyers stay away from the market and stop making purchases because they believe the market is going to decrease further.
An export enterprise supplier reported deals of antimony trioxide 99.5%min with exporters at around RMB37,000/t down from RMB37,000-37,500/t several days ago. The price for domestic sales is at around RMB37,200-37,300/t for the same grade materials, down from RMB37,500-38,000/t two weeks ago.
The source said, "The market is very quiet this week and we received fewer inquiries this week than last week." She believes that the market may decrease further slightly in the near future as according to her, buyers find the market is decreasing and may not come back to the market within two weeks. Where the market will go in the future depends on buyers demand for the trioxide material.
A Hunan-based smelter with a monthly production capacity of around 300 tons reported around 50 tons of antimony trioxide early this week concluded at RMB36,500-37,000/t.
The source puts the mainstream price of all grade antimony triode at RMB36,500-37,500/t at present. She confirmed that the market is decreasing but they find that it is difficult to get antimony ingot again. Therefore, the source believes that the market may increase slightly due to the above mentioned reason.

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[+/-] : Russian antimony ingot price runs at high levels

3 Sep 08 - Participants expressed even though the demand is low, the price of antimony 99.65%min remains stable at the high level of RUB200-205/kg (USD8062-8263/t),unchanged from last week.
Some local traders do not know what to do about the high price. They revealed some traders have quoted above RUB210/kg (USD8464/t), but most deals are concluded at RUB200-205/kg (USD8062-8263/t).
A smelter in Russia quotes RUB207/kg for antimony 99.65%min. He stated that there are few inquiries from consumers. Consumers are watching the market. Therefore, few deals are concluded at present.
"Few deals are concluded due to the low demand. We may lower our quotations in order to sell the metal in bulk," he said. In addition, China is a large producing country of antimony and has a say in the pricing of antimony products. Some traders and consumers in Russia imported antimony from China. Therefore, the current high quotation of Chinese antimony ingot is one of the most important reasons of the highly stable price in Russia. The smelter's monthly production volume is around 60 tons.
A trader in Russia said the mainstream price of antimony 99.65%min remains stable at RUB200/kg (USD8062/t), unchanged from last week. He quotes RUB205/kg (USD8263/t) this week, down by RUB2/kg (USD80/t) compared with that of last week. However, he has not concluded any deals so far. In view of the current condition, he believes the price of antimony may go down slightly in a short time.

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[+/-] : Antimony ingot price stable in Russia

Some antimony consumers in Russia return to the spot market in succession to purchase for the production next quarter. However, most buyers are holding watching attitudes due to the high price. Few deals are concluded this week. The price of antimony ingot 99.65%min remains stable in the range of RUB200-205/kg (USD8,123-8,326/t), unchanged compared with that one week ago.
A Russian antimony ingot producer, with the production capacity of 120tpm, attributes the high price in Russia to the climbing price in the international market. The source said that price increase of antimony ingot in China contributes to that in European. In turn, the price increase in Europe leads to the rise in export and domestic price in Russia.
The source offers RUB205/kg (USD8,326/t) d.d.p. for antimony 99.65%min, the same as that one week ago. However, no deal has been concluded this week. "Though we received more inquiries this week, most buyers are just testing the market without real intention of buying," he said. Most buyers cannot accept the current high price and purchase inactively, so he plans to lower the price. He thinks that the price will go down in a short term.
AA trader in Russia reported as for the market trend, most traders are confused, so they hold the watching attitudes at present due to the price hike in the local antimony market. Thus, the market supply reduces relatively and the price runs in a high level. The source purchases around 60tpm of antimony 99.65%min.
The source currently quotes RUB208/kg (USD8,448/t) d.d.p for antimony 99.65%min this week. However, some traders have reduced the price in order to reach a deal. The market keeps dim, for consumers cannot accept the high price. Therefore, the source believes that price of antimony will go down in a short term.

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[+/-] : European antimony market quiet this week

As European buyers are scared of the high price of antimony, European market had been quiet this week.
AA European trader told Asian Metal that he received offers from China earlier this week at USD6,580/t CIF Rotterdam for 99.65%min standard grade two antimony ingot and USD6,700/t CIF for low bismuth material. Both offers are for end of September shipment.
He opines that there is little stock in Europe at the moment, and no shipment from China before end of September. According to him, there were some activities in the last two weeks but market calm down again this week. "People are reluctant to the high prices."
The trader holds that the high price would be temporary for the next two to three months, so the consumers would not change to substitute. "USD7,000/t is still acceptable for the current antimony market, but if it continues going up to USD8,000-10,000/t, then we will see people leave antimony for other products," the source remarked.
Another trader confirmed the price of 99.65%min low bismuth grade two antimony ingot in offered to him at USD6,700/t CIF Rotterdam, and about USD6,800/t in warehouse Rotterdam. "But consumers are not willing to buy at the current prices," said the source who also had not concluded any deal this week.
He believes antimony price will continue increasing in the next one month due to the tight supply from China and increasing demand in Europe after more consumers come back to offices. "Price may reach USD7,000/t very soon."
The source learned that Chinese government increased export duty for some material from middle of the week, and he told Asian Metal that there maybe less smuggled material in market now, which is another reason for the tight supply. "I heard people talking about higher profit to smuggle ferroalloys and coke because the export duties are as high as 20% and 40%, and antimony is only 5%."

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[+/-] : European antimony market raging higher

20 Aug 08 – In the last two weeks, antimony prices continue rising fast in Chinese export market. Many European market participants hold that price will increase further in the coming days.
A European trader told Asian Metal that price of antimony are offered in wide range of USD6,600-6,800/t CIF Rotterdam for 99.65%min standard grade two antimony ingot, and material with higher purities are offered at close to USD7,000/t CIF Rotterdam. "This is a clear trend that price will break USD7,000/t for all grades antimony ingot very soon."
He takes that price of antimony metal will increase further if the Chinese suppliers want to do so. "The world antimony market is controlled by Chinese supply in the last two years. Price will go up if they really want to," the trader said and thinks it is difficult for the consumers switch to substitute. "Price had been going up since the beginning of 2005; consumers would be already switched to alternatives."
Another trader disclosed that the current offer for 99.65%min standard grade two antimony ingot is in the range of USD6,750-6.800/t in warehouse Rotterdam. "I was on holiday last week, and price increased by almost USD200/t," the source remarked, and regretted that he had not the offers at USD6,600/t in warehouse Rotterdam before he went on holiday.
He supplies material to antimony-lead battery producer in Europe. "Most of them are still in holiday, such as people in Spain, Italy and France, but I am sure that they would be surprised at the high prices when they come back to office." The source holds that there is no effective alternative for the consumers, so they have no choices but have to accept high offers. "Moreover, most of them do not have stocks now," the trader added.

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[+/-] : Antimony ingot price keeps rising in Russia

According to the participants, although there were fewer deals in antimony market of Russia during summer holidays, the price increased in Russian market as at the same time, the antimony ingot prices rose in China and Europe due to the tense supply in China and the local suppliers in Russia received more inquiries. This week the price of antimony ingot 99.65%min increased to RUB195-200/kg (USD 7,985-8,190/t) d.d.p., by RUB10/kg (USD410/t)'s from RUB185-190/kg (USD7,575-7,780/t) last week.
AsA supplier in Russia said, the local spot market was active this week, with more inquiries from the purchasers due to the price rising of antimony ingot in the world market. The source produces 150-200 tons per month, among which, about 80 tons are exported to other European countries, and the rest are sold to the local spot markets. The source also revealed, currently, their offer for antimony ingot 99.65%min for exports is USD6,800/t CIF Rotterdam, unchanged from last week; however, offers for the domestic market has risen from RUB195/kg (USD 7,985/t) last week to RUB205/kg (USD 8,395/t) this week. The source also disclosed that, as participants should pay for18% of value added tax in local market, the price in domestic market is much higher than the export price.
The source sold 10 tons of antimony ingot 99.65%min at USB198/kg (USD8,108/t) d.d.p. "The antimony price increased in China due to the tight supply of antimony concentrate and antimony ingot, and as most antimony ingots in Russia are imported from China, the local antimony ingot price increases accordingly." he said.
The source believes, the antimony ingot price in Russia is likely to increase up to RUB220/kg (USD9010/t) before the summer holidays ends at the end of August, and is probably to rise up to USD7,000/t in Europe.
A trader in Russia received an offer for antimony ingot 99.65%min of USD6,800/t CIF New Siberia from Chinese suppliers, USD100/t's higher than USD6,700/t of last week. The source said, at the moment, the price for antimony ingot 99.65%min is at around RUB200/kg (USD8,190/t) in the local spot market, up by RUB10/kg from RUB190/kg last week.
The source holds, the main reason for the price increasing of antimony ingot is the export price increasing in China due to the tight supply of antimony concentrate; and as most traders in Russia purchase antimony metal from China, the import price for the materials increased and thus the local price went up accordingly.

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[+/-] : European antimony prices skyrocketing

As supply continues to be tight in China, European antimony market prices rise fast.
A European trader told Asian Metal that antimony price continues to increase in European market that the new offers of 99.65%min low bismuth grade two antimony ingot is in the range of USD6,550-6,600/t CIF Rotterdam, and he booked some material in the lower end of the range.
AAccording to him, there is one peculiar phenomenon that some Chinese traders look for material from European market, which he believes the material in China is almost exhausted. Moreover, high grade material is extremely difficult to find as people do not have stock or are not willing to make offers. He helped a Chinese trader booked a parcel of 99.8%min grade one antimony ingot at USD6,950/t in warehouse Rotterdam for delivery in beginning September.
He takes that the price will continue to increase because the shortage of material, and price may break USD7,000/t when demand increase in end of August or beginning of September.
A European consumer received offers in the range of USD6,500-6,600/t CIF Rotterdam for 99.65%min low bismuth grade two antimony ingot. He disclosed to Asian Metal that he bought material in advance because he thought price would go up higher during the Olympic Games.
AThe source holds that there are few activities in the market, which were initiated by traders so the price could keep at the high level. According to him, many people are still in summer holiday, and it is unlikely to have real demand in Europe. "Price may keep at the currently level during Olympic games."

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[+/-] : European antimony prices skyrocketing

13 Aug 08 – As supply continues to be tight in China, European antimony market prices rise fast.
A European trader told Asian Metal that antimony price continues to increase in European market that the new offers of 99.65%min low bismuth grade two antimony ingot is in the range of USD6,550-6,600/t CIF Rotterdam, and he booked some material in the lower end of the range.
According to him, there is one peculiar phenomenon that some Chinese traders look for material from European market, which he believes the material in China is almost exhausted. Moreover, high grade material is extremely difficult to find as people do not have stock or are not willing to make offers. He helped a Chinese trader booked a parcel of 99.8%min grade one antimony ingot at USD6,950/t in warehouse Rotterdam for delivery in beginning September.
He takes that the price will continue to increase because the shortage of material, and price may break USD7,000/t when demand increase in end of August or beginning of September.
A European consumer received offers in the range of USD6,500-6,600/t CIF Rotterdam for 99.65%min low bismuth grade two antimony ingot. He disclosed to Asian Metal that he bought material in advance because he thought price would go up higher during the Olympic Games.
The source holds that there are few activities in the market, which were initiated by traders so the price could keep at the high level. According to him, many people are still in summer holiday, and it is unlikely to have real demand in Europe. "Price may keep at the currently level during Olympic games."

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[+/-] : Antimony market jumps in China

Influenced by tight supply of raw materials, the antimony market firms and jumps early this week.

A Guangxi-based antimony smelter increased their offers for grade two antimony ingot from RMB39,500/t (USD5,758/t) ex works early last week to RMB41,000/t (USD5,977/t) ex works early this week, up by RMB1,500/t (USD219/t). The source revealed that the concluded price for low bismuth grade two antimony ingot is at RMB39,000/t (USD5,685/t) VAT excluded ex works up from RMB38,000-38,200/t (USD5,539-5,577/t) VAT excluded ex works early last week. The concluded price for high bismuth materials is at RMB38,000/t (USD5,539/t) VAT excluded ex works.

The smelter has concluded around 100 tons of antimony ingot at RMB40,000-41,000/t (USD5,830-5,977/t) in the first ten days of August. "Buyers only purchased 50-60 tons each time as they must be cautious when price is increasing."

They also increased quotations for antimony trioxide 99.5%min to RMB38,000/t (USD5,539/t) ex works early this week up from RMB36,500/t (USD5,320/t) ex works two weeks ago. The smelter would not increase their offers this week as they believe the price is relatively high and it will take some time for consumers to accept it. They believe that the market may continue to go up after the summer holiday when buyers come back to make purchases.

A Hunan-based smelter quoted RMB43,000/t (USD6,268/t) ex works early this week, up from RMB42,500/t (USD6,195/t) ex works last week, by RMB500/t. They have concluded deals at around RMB41,500/t (USD6,050/t) ex works in the beginning of August when prices have not reached to the current level.

The source also quoted USD6,500-6,600/t CIF Rotterdam early this week, up by USD100/t from USD6,400-6,500/t in the beginning of August. The source stated that they may not quote this week as they do not have enough materials to provide to the buyers.

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[+/-] : Antimony consumers buying at high prices

As most consumers have failed to get enough antimony ingots in the recent two weeks, the price of antimony ingot and antimony trioxide increases continuously.
AA Hunan-based smelter with a monthly production capacity of around 400 tons concluded a deal of around 20 tons of antimony trioxide 99.5%min at RMB37,500/t (USD5,466/t) (freight included) early last week and they increased offers to RMB38,000/t (USD5,539/t) (freight included) late last week.
The source stated that many buyers send inquires for relatively large quantities of around 100-200 tons to them and they dare not sign the contract with buyers because they could not get enough materials to produce antimony trioxide.
The smelter quoted RMB42,000/t (USD6,122/t) (freight included) for antimony ingot 99.65%min early last week and they increased offers to RMB43,000/t (USD6,268/t) (freight included) late last week. One of their clients found the price high and did not accept it. "As the antimony ingot supply is very tight, we are going to increase offers for the metal further."
AThe source revealed that there are few of antimony concentrate in the market; however, demand is weak as most plants have been shut down. The source believes that the market may go up further in the near term by the end of August and after the summer holiday finishes, when buyers comes back, how the market go depends on how much price the buyers could accept as the tight supply may not ease within one month.
A Shanghai-based trader confirmed that their supplier quoted RMB42,000/t (USD6,122/t) (freight included) for antimony ingot 99.65%min and RMB38,500/t (USD5,612/t) (freight included) for antimony trioxide 99.5%min, but they could not accept it.
AsThey heard that some exporter concluded 20 tons of antimony trioxide 99.5%min at USD5,500/t FOB China and buyers only sent small-volume inquiries of 10-20 tons each time.

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[+/-] : Antimony ingot suppliers refuse to sell in China

As a large proportion of antimony smelters have suspended production because of the lacking of raw materials, those who are still in production and hold a considerable amount of stocks do not want to release the metal to the market.
A South China-based smelter with a monthly production capacity of around 300 tons stated that they increased offers for antimony ingot 99.65%min from RMB39,800/t (USD5,819/t) ex works last week to RMB40,800/t (USD5,965/t) ex works early this week. The source works in a state-owned plant that will suspend the production in a few days' time for furnace maintenance.
"The supply of antimony ingot becomes tighter because of the government's stricter control on the explosives as the Olympic Games is in a week's time," said the source, continuing, "Therefore, we increase the our offers and in fact we do not want to release the metal at the current price level. If buyers could accept the increased price, we would conclude the deal."
The source believes that the market may continue to go up by the end of the Olympic Games as there are very few quantities of antimony ingot coming out of Lengshuijiang region - the major antimony production region in China. Besides, the market becomes a little active than that in the past several weeks because there are some consumers making purchases to replenish stocks at the time.
Another South China-based smelter with a monthly production of around 300 tons confirmed that they increased their offers for antimony ingot 99.65% too, from RMB37,500-37,800/t (USD5,482-5,526/t) ex works VAT excluded to RMB38,000-38,500/t (USD5,556-5,629/t) ex works VAT excluded.
The source stated that more buyers sent inquiries this week and the supply of antimony ingot becomes very tight. "We do not plan to release the metal as the market is picking up and we want to wait for higher prices."

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[+/-] : Antimony smelters increase their offers in China

Some antimony suppliers increase their offers due to the tight supply of antimony concentrate.
A Lengshuijiang-based smelter with a monthly production capacity of around 400 tons reported a deal of grade two antimony ingot of RMB39,800/t (USD5,819/t) ex works in the beginning of last week and another deal of RMB40,500/t (USD5,021/t) ex works in the end of last week. The source puts the mainstream price of grade two antimony ingot at RMB40,300-41,000/t (USD5,892-5,994/t) ex works this week.
The source that has their own mine stated, "We increased offers in the end of last week because the output of antimony ingot reduced by around two thirds caused by the output reduction of raw materials by 50%." He estimated that there are around 80 antimony ingot smelting plants in Lengshuijiang area with 50% of them suspending production and around 25% of their outputs reducing to lower than 50%. Therefore, he believes that the supply of antimony ingot may become tight in the near future and the market may pick up after the summer holiday if buyers come back to make purchases actively.
The source believes that the market may increase further in the recent two weeks. He explained that more plants may suspend the production as they are going to use up the inventories of raw materials so that the supply of both antimony concentrate and antimony ingot may become tighter. In addition, there are some buyers making some purchases to replenish stocks.
Another Lengshuijiang-based smelter with a monthly production capacity of around 300 tons confirmed that they increased their offers from RMB37,500-37,800/t (USD5,482-5,526/t) VAT excluded ex works in the beginning of last week to RMB38,000-38,500/t (USD5,556-5,629/t) VAT excluded ex works. They have already concluded a deal at RMB38,500/t (USD5,629/t) VAT excluded ex works early this week.
The source explained, "We received relatively more inquires from buyers and the antimony ingot supply becomes tighter and tighter recently as many smelters like us have reduced the output reluctantly because we could not get enough raw materials." The output of the smelter has been reduced by 50% to around 150 tons.
The source revealed that they have heard a deal concluded at RMB41,000/t (USD5,994/t) ex works and he believes that the market may increase further as the supply of antimony concentrate may become tighter. They will suspend the production around several days later because they have used up the raw materials.

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