Shanghai Nonferrous Metals News
Domestic zinc miners have been slow to resume operations due to weak prices. A few small-medium miners have decided to postpone their resumption plans and some already in loss have swapped from mining to exploration, further tightening domestic supply.
On the supply side, an IM zinc smelter halted operations in late February, curtailing about 10 kt output. Most southern zinc smelters have scheduled restarts in mid-March, resulting in an expectation of limited output growth next week. On the demand side, with the COVID-19 epidemic receding in China (with the exception of Wuhan) and supportive policies from Government, an increasing number of producers are expected to resume operations next week. Furthermore, operational rates of those who have restarted already are likely to increase.
