Spot of bother: Copper smelters hit by lowest treatment charges in 6 yrs

From uk.reuters.com

Spot prices for refining copper concentrate have fallen to their lowest in 6-1/2 years and look set to stay under pressure, dragged down as China cements itself as a dominant producer of processed metal. Chinese copper smelters are expected to add almost 1 million tonnes of capacity in 2019, stealing a march on rivals in Japan, South Korea and Chile, and pushing down the spot treatment charges (TCs) the industry receives for processing concentrate. TCs slipped as far as $60 a tonne on Thursday, according to research and price reporting agency Asian Metal, the lowest since November 2012 and down around 30% from a ... (full story)