China’s Antimony Imports Fall in July

Chinese antimony concentrate importers reduced shipments in July on lower buying interest from domestic smelters that operated from stocks or were well supplied by domestic feedstocks.

China imported 4,419t of antimony concentrate in July, down by 72pc from a year earlier and up by 25.8pc from the previous month, China’s customs data show.

Shipments from Russia dipped by 95.4pc from the previous year to 507t in July, while deliveries from Tajikistan fell by 1.6pc to 2,550t. Imports in July from Australia dropped by 25.8pc to 407t, while imports from Myanmar (Burma) increased by 145pc to 785t.

China imported 43,441t of antimony concentrate during January-July, down by 20pc from the same period last year.

Prices for 99.65pc grade metal hit the bottom of the range of 35,000-36,000 yuan/t ($4,920-5,060/t) on 27 August and rebounded by Yn500/t over the past week to Yn35,500-36,500/t, with more producers withholding sales at lower prices because of tighter profit margins. A lack of demand from the flame retardant industry and investors continued to weigh on the market, leaving little support on prices to move up further.