US stockpile sales halted
The US Defense National Stockpile Center has suspended the sale of six metals, including tin, and reduced the availability of seven others in response to plans to reconfigure its metals stockpiles, according to American Metal Market/MB. The DNSC said on 6 August that...
Two killed in Huanuni protests
Two striking miners from the Huanuni mine in Bolivia were killed on 5 August when police intervened to break up a road block on the highway between Oruro and La Paz. Police had arrived at the scene around 12:00am with the aim of persuading the miners to lift a...
Renison mine officially re-opened
The Metals X 8,500 tpy capacity Renison mine in Tasmania was officially re-opened on Friday. According to the Hobart Mercury, the first tin concentrates to be produced in Tasmania in three years will be shipped from the local port of Burnie to Thailand and...
Analysts forecast stable or falling tin prices
A survey of 26 analysts at banks and other organisation published by Reuters on 22 July produced a “consensus” average view that the annual average LME cash price would decline from US $20,658/tonne in 2008 to $18,468/tonne next year. The forecast compares...
China’s tin production increases 4.4% in June
For the first month this year production of refined tin by Chinese smelters was above year-ago levels in June. According to preliminary data released by the National Bureau of Statistics today, June production was 12,778 tonnes, up 4.4% on June 2007. China’s...
Liuzhou China Tin re-starts smelter
Liuzhou China Tin Co., China's third-largest producer, was due to resume production today after electricity supply is restored with the repair of power poles. The company halted operations at its Guangxi province-based Laibin plant from July 11, Li Zhijian, a sales...
World tin consumption picks up – WBMS
Preliminary statistics released by the World Bureau of Metal Statistics yesterday show a slight increase in world tin consumption in the first five months of 2008. Global refined tin consumption is estimated to have increased by 1.1% to 147, 900 tonnes in January-May...
Huanuni re-invests H1 profits
Bolivia’s largest tin mine reported a first half profit of US$29 million, which will be re-invested in new equipment. Business News Americas, quoting local press reports, said that the Huanuni mine, operated by the Empresa Minera Huanuni (EMH) division of...
South Korea to expand metal stockpiles
The South Korean government announced on Wednesday that it will increase the budget for its Public Procurement Service, to allow it to hold 60 days supply of 22 key metals, compared to the current 19 days’ supply of 12 metals. Tin and all the other LME metals...