Мировые новости на рынке металлов.

London, April 12  - Rio Tinto PLC, minerals and metals company,
said Thursday the U.S. economy slowdown is not cause for gloom
at Rio. However,  Rio's chairman Robert Wilson said it is
difficult to predict near term  prospects. Rio said the power
crisis in western U.S. hit domestic production  and supply of
aluminum and copper. Rio said iron ore and coal remains strong
despite the down turn in the steel industry, but production of
some metals and  minerals remained at low levels even before the
slowdown began. The company also said it plans $1 billion
expansion at Escondida in Chile. --
London stocks  desk.





Finland's Outokumpu has concluded 90%+ of its zinc TC deals:
sources
London, April 12 - Finnish metals group Outokumpu Ojy has
completed over 90% of negotiations for 2001 zinc treatment
charge (TC)--those  fees paid by mining companies to smelters
for the processing of  concentrate--sources close to the company
told BridgeNews Thursday. Outokumpu  will complete its final
deal, understood to be with a North American producer,
in the week following the Easter vacation, the sources said.



Japan's Furukawa plans lower rolled copper output in Apr-Sept
Tokyo, April 13  - Japan's leading rolled copper products
maker, Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd., plans to produce 48,600
tonnes of rolled   copper products in the first half of fiscal
2001-02 (April-March), down 9% on  year, a spokesman for
Furukawa Electric said Friday. The company attributed the
lower production to weakened demand globally from computer,
mobile phone and  air conditioner manufacturers.


NYMEX proposes 3 new US aluminum warehouse locations
New York, April 12 - The New York Mercantile Exchange is
proposing to add three new licensed warehouses for its COMEX
division aluminum contract. The warehouse facilities to be added
are: Lanham River Terminals LLC  of Maceo, Kentucky; Southern
Shore Terminal Inc. of Hawesville, Kentucky; and  R.J. Corman
Distribution Centers of South Union, Kentucky. The proposed
warehouses must be approved by the Commodity Futures Trading
Commission.



Brazil aluminum smelters face cuts if power rationing ordered
Sao Paulo, April 12- Brazil's aluminum industry will face
production cuts if the government orders electric power
rationing, a Brazilian   Aluminum Association (ABAL) official
told BridgeNews Thursday. The government  earlier this month
implemented a conservation scheme. If power supplies are
still threatened in June, the government has said it would order
rationing.



NY Copper Review: May edges up 15 points on short covering
New York, April 12  - COMEX May copper futures on Thursday
settled up 15 points at 76.70 cents per pound, as some players
chose to cover   their short positions ahead of the long
weekend. The lower-than-expected U.S.
March producer price index and retail sales data had marginal
impact on copper,   which traded within a narrow range and
continued to move on the heels of   aluminum prices.



US DLA awards 1.9 mln pounds electrolytic manganese to 1 firm
New York, April 12  - The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency
announced Thursday the sale of 1.9 million pounds of
electrolytic manganese to   BSI Alloys, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA,
for an approximate value of $1.4 million. The
next receipt of offers are due by 1300 ET April 24.

Minor Metals: Cobalt steady to slightly weaker
New York, April 12 - Spot cobalt was unchanged to slightly
weaker this pre-Easter holiday week. Cobalt slipped in Europe
but there was dip buying. Cobalt demand in Japan remains weak.


Sherritt, Canada nickel-cobalt union ratify 3-year labor pact
New York, April 12  - Canada's Sherritt International Corp. on
Thursday said it has ratified the three-year labor agreement
with the union  representing roughly 300 employees at its nickel-
cobalt refinery in Fort  Saskatchewan, Alberta. While the
previous contract expired on March 31, the
refinery maintained normal operations during the negotiations.



US Feb copper shipments down 22.4% from Jan, says trade group
New York, April 12 - U.S. Servicenter copper shipments in
February fell 22.4% from January to 15.261 million pounds, the
Copper & Brass   Servicenter Association said. Total alloy
shipments fell 17.0% to 23.029   million pounds. The average
daily shipping rate in February was down 10.9% from
January. Shipment declines occurred in all product categories
with the   exception of alloy plate, where relatively few
distributors report shipments.




UK Spectron rejects comments electronic platform not SFA
regulated
London, April 12 - U.K. energy and online metals broker
Spectron Futures Limited is regulated by the Securities and
Futures Authority  (SFA) despite suggestions by various market
participants to the contrary. "It  is untrue to claim that
Spectron's electronic metals platform is operating
outside of the strict regulatory requirements of the SFA or
indeed outside of  its jurisdiction," said Spectron's head of
LME metals brokerage, Gavin Gross.


Rio Tinto faces environmental protests at London AGM
London, April 12  - Friends of the Earth (FOE) campaigners
attended Anglo-Australian Rio Tinto's annual general meeting
Thursday in an  attempt to raise concerns about plans for a vast
uranium mine on Aboriginal  land in Australia. The uranium mine,
planned to be built at Jabiluka, would  cause irreversible
damage to Kakadu National Park, FOE said. Rio Tinto
inherited Jabiluka following its takeover of Australian miner
North Ltd. last  year.



French Pechiney invests in new German automotive press
London, April 11  - French aluminum and packaging group
Pechiney SA said its Pechiney Aluminium Presswerk (PAP) unit in
Germany is to  invest 18 million euros in a new press designed
mainly for automotive  applications. The company said the new
4,00-5,000 tonnes press will boost  annual production by 12,000
tonnes and is due to come into operation in the
fourth quarter of 2002.


LME Review: Copper, aluminum firm in kerb on late short covering
London, April 12 - The LME complex held a mainly sideways
course around recent levels through Thursday afternoon trade
before perking up  through short covering late on to secure kerb
closes near intraday highs.
Copper and aluminum were the more heavily traded contracts,
though activity in  zinc also picked up in the kerb to leave
prices around $990 per tonne.


US Physical Copper: China demand narrows spreads for No. 2 scrap
New York, April 12  - Spreads have narrowed slightly for No. 2
refined scrap this week, as Asian customers continue to consume
the more  inexpensive materials, while the rest of the U.S.
scrap market continues to be  plagued by the economic slowdown.
Meanwhile, U.S. merchant cathode premiums
have widened mildly at the high end of their range, but seems to
be based  mainly on regional factors rather than improved
demand.


Vanalco wants aluminum smelter to be in ready-to-restart mode
New York, April 11 - Private U.S. aluminum smelter Vanalco,
currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, has submitted
plans to court  that would see the plant be in a ready-to-
restart position for the next three  years, said Vanalco plant
manager Chuck Reali. Reali said plans to sell the
Washington State smelter are now not being pursued, but remains
a future  option.


Hijacked Indonesia tin cargo found in Manila belongs to Koba Tin
Hong Kong,
April 12 A cargo of 12,800 pieces of tin ingots
on board of the hijacked Indonesian vessel Inabukwa are owned by
Indonesia's   second largest tin producer PT Koba Tin, an
official at the corporate affair   department of PT Timah Tbk
told BridgeNews. PT Timah owns 25% stake in PT Koba.
Australian Iluka Resources Ltd. owns the remaining 75% stake in
PT Koba.



S Africa's Chamber of Mines says metals price cycles to stay
Cape Town, April 12 - The South African Chamber of Mines
says that commodity price cycles are going to remain a fact of
mining life  owing to the deep-seated causes of the cycles, but
it argues that in many ways   the South African mining industry
has restructured sufficiently to cope with
the challenge these cycles pose.




US DLA sells 25,000 pounds tantalum oxide to ELG Metals
New York, April 12  - The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency said
Thursday it has sold a total of 25,000 pounds of tantalum oxide
to ELG Metals,  Inc., Greenville, PA, for an approximate market
value of $2.6 million. This   award exhausts the amount of
tantalum oxide available for sale under the Fiscal
Year 2001 Annual Materials Plan.




US DLA sold approx 771,000 lbs tungsten carbide powder to 6
firms
New York, April 12 - The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency sold
approximately 771,000 pounds of contained tungsten in tungsten
carbide power to   six firms for an approximate market value of
$3.5 million, it said. This sale  exhausts the stockpile
inventory for tungsten carbide powder.




Russian PGM stocks could be depleted in five years: report
Johannesburg, April 12 - Russian stockpiles of platinum
group metals (PGMs) could be depleted in five years, which bodes
well for the   medium- and longer-term future of the market,
according to a report by Standard  Equities. The report adds
that further re-centralization of Russian exports is
likely, which will lead to more stable supply patterns from the
world biggest   supplier of palladium and reduce the importance
of the stockpile equation.



NY Precious Metals Review: Gold up $1.3 in quiet trading
New York, April 12  - COMEX Jun gold settled up $1.3 at $260.9
per ounce in quiet trade ahead of the long holiday weekend. Jun
settled 10c   above its 20-day moving average -- at $260.8 --
for the first time in one  month. NYMEX and COMEX will be closed
Friday in observance of the Good Friday  holiday.



LBMA March daily gold turnover up on month
London, April 12 - The London Bullion Market Association said
Thursday average daily cleared gold turnover rose 18.5% month-on-
month to 28.7  million ounces in March--the highest level since
February 2000. The average  daily value rose 19% to a daily
average of $7.5 billion, and the number of  transfers increased
from 830 to 954 per day. Silver statistics were also up,
with ounces transferred up nearly a third from 102.0 million to
131.3 million.



Europe Precious Metals Review: Gold flattens just below $260
London, April 12 - Gold traded flat in a U.S. $259.00-259.50
per ounce range in very thin conditions this morning after
having firmed   overnight on the back of a softer U.S. dollar
against other major currencies  and position-squaring ahead of
the long weekend. Sources expected spot metal to
remain firm for the rest of the day, although sellers are
expected to emerge in  the $260 area. Elsewhere activity was
also quiet.




Japanese environmental concerns boost silver soldering demand
Tokyo, April 12  - Increasing environmental concerns are
boosting Japan's use of silver in soldering materials to replace
poisonous  lead. The consumption rise will become more
significant from 2003, as major  Japanese manufacturers, such as
Sony Corp. and Matsushita Electric Industrial
Co. Ltd. plan to replace all soldering materials from
traditional tin-lead   alloy with tin-silver alloy, industry
sources said Thursday.




Tough times seen for S African gold mines in March quarter
Johannesburg, April 12  - Analysts are expecting further
hard times for South African gold mines in the three months
ended March 31,  after a generally poor performance in December.
The quarterly reporting season  opens on Wednesday next week,
with Harmony Gold Mining Co Ltd reporting its  latest figures on
that day, and the consensus is that the country's
third-biggest producer will announce a disappointing
performance.



Rio Tinto faces environmental protests at London AGM
London, April 12  - Friends of the Earth (FOE) campaigners
attended Anglo-Australian Rio Tinto's annual general meeting
Thursday in an   attempt to raise concerns about plans for a
vast uranium mine on Aboriginal  land in Australia. The uranium
mine, planned to be built at Jabiluka, would  cause irreversible
damage to Kakadu National Park, FOE said. Rio Tinto
inherited Jabiluka following its takeover of Australian miner
North Ltd. last  year.



Russian CBR April 6 FX/gold reserves $30 bln, up $300 mln on wk
Moscow, April 12  - The foreign exchange/gold reserves of the
Central Bank of Russia (CBR) totaled $30.0 billion as of April
6, up $300   million from March 30, the CBR announced Thursday.
At the start of the year,  the reserves were at $28.0 billion,
compared with $12.3 billion at the start of  2000.



Gold Mines of Sardinia gets OK for Osilo trial mining
London, April 12 - Gold Mines of Sardinia said Thursday it
received clearance to develop its trial mining and bulk sampling
program at   Osilo in the north of the island. The company said
the appeals tribunal, the   Tar Sardegna, overruled a local
agency of the Italian government which revoked
approvals for the trial program given by the Sardinian regional
government. The  Tar Sardegna said the Osilo program would not
substantially modify the land.
London stocks desk



S Africa's Chamber of Mines says metals price cycles to stay
Cape Town, April 12  - The South African Chamber of Mines
says that commodity price cycles are going to remain a fact of
mining life  owing to the deep-seated causes of the cycles, but
it argues that in many ways  the South African mining industry
has restructured sufficiently to cope with
the challenge these cycles pose.



Asia Precious Metals Review: Gold rises on US dollar's decline
Hong Kong, April 12 - Spot gold extended overnight gains in
Asia Thursday on declines in the U.S. dollar against other major
currencies,   dealers said. Trading was inactive ahead of the
long weekend in some Asian   countries, with markets in Hong
Kong to be closed Friday and Monday for Easter.
Spot gold is expected to remain in a range of U.S. $258-261 per
ounce early   next week, dealers said.




Survey finds Japanese public sees economy improves in March
Tokyo, April 12- The Japanese public believes economic
conditions were better in March than in February, according to a
Cabinet Office   (CO) survey. Results of the monthly survey,
announced on Thursday, show that  the diffusion index (DI)
monitoring current economic conditions in 11 areas of
Japan stood rose to 35.7 in March from 34.1 in February.


Taiwan's February non-ferrous metals imports down vs January
Taipei, April 12 - Taiwan's imports of non-ferrous metals in
February were all down compared with January, according to
import figures  released by the Directorate General of Customs.