Chinese bismuth ingot supply tight and prices firm
2014-07-29 09:05:54 [Print]
BEIJING (Asian Metal) 29 Jul 14 - Chinese bismuth ingot prices increased further from RMB148,500-150,000/t (USD10.89-11/lb) to RMB150,000-151,500/t (USD11-11.1/lb) last week. The inventory for suppliers is low and most suppliers are still holding back from selling materials now. The prices keep firm at the above level currently and some suppliers raise offers further to around RMB152,000/t (USD11.14/lb).
A bismuth ingot supplier in China, with an output of around 40tpm, told Asian Metal that they sold around 20t of bismuth ingot to regular customers at RMB151,000/t (USD11.07/lb) last week, up by RMB2,000/t (USD0.15/lb) against the prices in mid-July. They have few stocks in hand now and do not make offers temporarily.
The source noted that the supply for raw material crude bismuth is tight and the stockpiling for bismuth ingot in some exchanges continues, therefore, Chinese bismuth ingot prices will increase further in the near future. They could only supply materials to some regular customers currently and do not intend to sell materials on the spot market.
A major bismuth ingot trader in China claimed that they purchased some bismuth ingot at RMB150,000/t (USD11/lb) early last week and some of the material at RMB151,000/t (USD11.07/lb) late last week. Many suppliers are still holding back from selling materials without making offers now and some raise offers further to RMB152,000/t (USD11.14/lb). In the export market, they raised the offer to around USD11.2/lb CIF Europe recently, with no deals being concluded yet.
“The supply for bismuth ingot is tight in the domestic market now and the prices are likely to keep increasing, so we will hold the export offers firm. Many overseas buyers are still in the summer vacation and the bismuth ingot export market is likely to see more orders in early August,” said the source.
