Japan Smelters and Copper Ore Suppliers Show Different Market Views

摘要

Japanese copper smelters and overseas copper ore suppliers showed different views about the global copper ore market in 2008 during their year-end price negotiation for copper concentrate shipped during 2008-2009. The ore suppliers offered lower treatment charge (TC) and refining charge (RC) to Japanese smelters with an expectation the global copper ore supply become short by 300,000 tonnes in 2008. Japanese smelters aim better price terms than the mid-year negotiation for July 2007 ? June 2008 shipment with estimation the copper ore supply-demand gap be slight in 2008 despite of the shortage. The second negotiation will be held in November between the smelters and the ore suppliers but they would hardly reach an agreement.