The morning intel from across Latin America. Free.
By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. We never share your email.
Zinc ended the latest week on a softer note, with London cash prices easing from 3,591.00 to 3,549.00 dollars a tonne between 16 and 17 July as futures in India also slipped on signs of weaker spot demand. Latin America’s big producers, led by Peru, Mexico and Bolivia, remain central to mine supply, but equity proxies for the metal told a more nuanced story.
Nexa Resources, the Brazil‑ and Peru‑based base‑metals group, closed its last settled New York session at 12.19 dollars, down 3.02 percent on the day, in contrast to a modest 0.23 percent gain for fellow Peruvian‑linked miner Buenaventura at 30.24 dollars. That divergence matters for foreign investors using these names as shorthand for zinc because it highlights the role of company mix, balance sheets and by‑products alongside the metal’s own price moves.
On the physical side, zinc remains closely tied to galvanised steel demand, which in turn depends on construction and manufacturing cycles that have cooled in several markets, prompting traders on India’s MCX to cut positions and nudging prices lower. Yet exchange inventories on the LME have drifted slightly down through July and Trading Economics still shows zinc near 3,528.60 dollars a tonne, suggesting underlying supply‑demand is relatively tight by past standards.
