Antimony market at a standstill in China

BEIJING (Asian Metal) 1 Feb 08 - The continuously heavy snow in many parts of South China brings antimony products market to a standstill. As many smelters have been forced to close due to power shortage, lack of raw materials and the bad traffic, the market sees few activities. Most participants think that prices for antimony products will rise a little after the Chinese New Year due to tight supply.
An antimony trioxide producer in Yiyang, Hunan stopped production early last week affected by the snowstorm. The source revealed that almost all antimony ingot and trioxide smelters in the region were forced to close affected by the severe weather. "We're suffering power cut. Additionally, the snow-caused traffic havoc continues, leaving it difficult for us to transport goods," said the source.
According to the source, the antimony products market is stagnant. He ordered a cargo of grade-zero antimony ingot at around RMB37,000/t (USD5,139/t) VAT excluded from Lengshuijiang, but the material is
still stranded on the way. "I plan to book more antimony ingot for preparation of our production after the Spring Festival for fear that the price may rise then," said the source. The source said that the most recent offer he received for grade-zero antimony ingot is RMB37,600/t (USD5,222/t) VAT excluded, but he considered RMB37,200-37,300/t (USD5,167-5,181/t) VAT excluded more workable.
Asianmetal(English) http://www.asianmetal.com NA6K Meanwhile, the source reported that the antimony trioxide prices remain unchanged with no deal concluded in the past ten days. "Although we put our quotation at RMB36,000/t (USD5,000/t) ex works, most consumers would not like to accept the price above RMB35,600/t (USD4,944/t) ex works," said the source.
A Guangdong-based trader confirmed the quiet market of antimony ingot and trioxide, and said that few concluded deals were heard of in the past two weeks. "Due to the severe weather, the traffic in South China has gone chaotic, and it is impossible for buyers to get materials on time," said the source.
The source received a few offers of antimony ingot and trioxide from overseas this week, but has not concluded any deals as many smelters ceased quoting after they halted production. Additionally, it is really
hard to transport goods from smelters to ports under the snowy weather.
The source, who has not received any offers of antimony ingot and trioxide from smelters this week, quoted USD4,900/t FOB for antimony trioxide a week ago, but did not get any replies from overseas buyers.