Metal Information Center

Antimony buyers on spring break as prices fall below $3,000/T mark

September 7, 2007 – 7:12 am

Consumers of antimony appear to be flush with material, sending prices down below the $3,000-a-tonne mark, traders said Tuesday.”There’s been a lack of activity in the market for the past couple of weeks” one U.S. trader said. “A lot of consumers have bought what they need for the spring and consequently prices have dropped.”

Trade sources reported recent deals in a range of $1.32 to $1.36 a pound ($2,909 to $2,997 a tonne), down from a peak around the low $1.40s a pound ($3,100 a tonne) in late March.

Market participants said there is no shortage of material available for customers who do want to buy, but added there was little immediate danger of oversupply driving prices significantly lower

Antimony reached a high of $3,350 a tonne in October 2002 and has hovered between $2,000 and $3,000 ever since. Two years ago the metal was trading as low as $1,280 a tonne.

The antimony market tends to see stronger activity toward the end of each quarter, when many consumers complete large orders. One trader said this pattern probably accounted for the quieter market conditions in April, but he also noted that many consumers bought material on a rolling basis, which could support prices during the next two months.