Zinc futures were at $3,000 per tonne in November, pulling back from the eleven-month high of $3,100 from the start of the month and tracking the broad pullback for base metals. Industrial metals with exposure to datacenter and infrastructure investments pulled back as concerns of exaggerated AI-investment pledges trimmed the outlook for the sector. Meanwhile, Zinc futures also decreased as higher delivery commitments from China eased the supply shortages from zinc refiners through the year. Refined zinc production fell over 2% this year despite the 6.3% jump in mined output, consistent with output curbs among smelters in Kazakhstan and Japan, with the latter being pressured by the closure of the key Toho Zinc Annaka plant. Likewise, treatment charges for zinc rose toward $100 per ton after being negative $115 in the end of last year, according to private surveys. Stocks at the LME sank to 45 thousand tonnes, compared to 230.5 thousand tonnes at the start of the year.
