[Traders Continue to Hold Prices Firm and Sell, Shanghai Spot Premiums Rise Significantly]: This week, Shanghai spot premiums rose significantly, up 30 yuan/mt WoW. As of this Friday, ordinary domestic brands were quoted at a premium of 40 yuan/mt against the 2608 contract, while the high-priced brand Shuangyan was quoted at a premium of 130-150 yuan/mt against the 2608 contract..

[SHFE/LME zinc price ratio consolidated near 6.8] This week, the SHFE/LME zinc price ratio consolidated near 6.8, with the zinc ingot export window opening intermittently. Ex-China, US June CPI and PPI data came in below expectations, hawkish remarks from the US Fed and repeated Middle East tensions disturbed macro sentiment, and coupled with continued LME inventory destocking and the sustained backwardation structure of LME zinc, LME zinc performed relatively strong.

[SHFE/LME Price Ratio Drops to Around 6.8 and Consolidates]: This week, the SHFE/LME price ratio pulled back to around 6.8 and consolidated, and the zinc ingot export window opened intermittently. Outside China, expectations for US-Iran negotiations heated up, expectations for US Fed interest rate cuts improved, and, coupled with continued LME inventory destocking, LME zinc performed relatively strong.

[Spot transactions during the week were mostly among traders, spot discounts narrowed slightly]: Spot discounts in Shanghai narrowed slightly this week, with the weekly average basically flat WoW. As of this Friday, ordinary domestic brands were quoted at a discount of 50 yuan/mt against the 2608 contract, while the high-end brand Shuangyan was quoted at a premium of 100 yuan/mt against the 2608 contract.

[SMM Zinc Morning Comment] Overnight, SHFE zinc recorded a four-session losing streak, with the daily candlestick's center moving lower and the MACD bearish candlestick expanding. Pressured by macro rate hike expectations, the center of SHFE zinc shifted downward overnight. However, with the SHFE/LME zinc price ratio remaining weak, the zinc ingot export window is about to open. Monitor...

[SMM Morning Meeting Summary: LME Zinc Center Shifts Downward Under Expectations for US Fed Interest Rate Hikes] Overnight, LME zinc recorded a large bearish candlestick, the lower Bollinger Bands provided support. Expectations for US Fed interest rate hikes increased, non-ferrous metals and global stock markets fell, the US dollar remained firm...

As of May 26, the Shanghai-LME zinc price ratio stood at 6.97, continuing its downward trend from 7.4 recorded in late March, which has led to a widening import loss of refined zinc ingots in China. According to calculations by Shanghai Metals Market (SMM), the current import loss of China’s refined zinc ingots has expanded to approximately RMB 3,800 per metric ton of metal.

[SMM Zinc Morning Comment] Last Friday, SHFE zinc recorded a long upper shadow bearish candlestick, with the upper Bollinger Bands exerting pressure from above and various moving averages providing support below. The upward shift in SHFE zinc's center last Friday was mainly due to...

[SMM Morning Meeting Minutes: LME Inventory Continued to Decline, LME Zinc Fluctuated at Highs] Last Friday, LME zinc posted a small bullish candlestick, with the 5-day moving average providing support below. Last Friday, LME zinc fluctuated at highs. LME inventory continued to decline, and structural risks in LME Cash-3M persisted, providing strong support for LME zinc.

[Tug-of-War Between Longs and Shorts Continued, SHFE and LME Prices Fluctuated Upward] At the beginning of the week, boosted by optimistic sentiment over the easing of earlier geopolitical tensions, LME zinc edged up. Subsequently, as expectations for U.S.-Iran peace talks wavered and the Strait of Hormuz faced renewed restrictions, market concerns intensified, and LME zinc struggled to rise and continued to pull back.