Zinc Rises on Speculation China to Further Loosen Rate Controls

                    Zinc rose in London, leading an advance in industrial metals, on speculation China’s new leaders will further loosen interest-rate controls this year. 

Twelve of 16 analysts expect China to relax or remove the cap on deposit rates or the floor on lending rates, according to a Bloomberg News survey conducted ahead of Xi Jinping’s appointment as president tomorrow. Metals also increased as the dollar weakened, making greenback-denominated commodities more attractive as an alternative investment. Some traders were also buying metals to close out bets on falling prices. 

“Metals have been looking closely at the dollar,” Mark Newson-Smith, head of sales at Xconnect Trading Ltd. in London, said by e-mail. He pointed to short-covering from “short-term” commodity trading advisers. “Confidence is returning as the dollar reverses slightly,” he said.Zinc for delivery in three months rose 0.7 percent to $2,000 a metric ton by 9:42 a.m. on the London Metal Exchange. Copper was little changed at $7,832 a ton, while the May- delivery contract fell 0.1 percent to $3.5495 a pound on the Comex in New York. Trading in the New York contract was 5.9 percent above the average in the past 100 days for the time of day. 

The fewest workers on record were fired in the U.S. in January and job openings rebounded, data showed yesterday. Sales at U.S. retailers probably rose 0.5 percent in February, according to a Bloomberg News survey. 

Increases in metals may be limited as a report may show industrial production in the euro-area shrunk in January. 

Copper stockpiles monitored by the LME rose for a 20th session to 520,500 tons, daily exchange figures showed. Inventories in New Orleans almost doubled this year while those in Johor, Malaysia, more than quadrupled.Aluminum, tin, nickel and lead rose in London.- BLOOMBERG

Copper Advances on China Autos, U.S. Jobs: Commodities at Close

The Standard & Poor’s GSCI Spot Index of 24 raw materials rose 0.1 percent to settle at 649.62 at 3:59 p.m. New York time, led by industrial metals.

The UBS Bloomberg CMCI gauge of 26 prices advanced 0.3 percent to 1,551.55.

BASE METALS

Copper rose to the highest in more than a week as signs of strength in Chinese auto sales and gains in the U.S. labor market brightened demand prospects for industrial metals.

Wholesale deliveries of cars, multipurpose and sport- utility vehicles rose 20 percent in the two months ended Feb. 28 in the strongest start since 2010, according to a Chinese industry group. U.S. job openings climbed in January, and confidence among small businesses rose in February for a third month, reports showed.

On the Comex in New York, copper futures for May delivery advanced 1.1 percent to $3.5545 a pound. Earlier, the price reached $3.576, the highest for a most-active contract since Feb. 28.

On the London Metal Exchange, copper for delivery in three months gained 0.9 percent to $7,830 a metric ton ($3.55 a pound). Zinc, nickel, tin, aluminum and lead also rose.

PRECIOUS METALS

Gold rose, capping the longest rally in six months, as Europe’s slumping economy increased speculation that central banks will expand stimulus measures, boosting demand for the metal as a store of value.

On the Comex, gold futures for April delivery climbed 0.9 percent to $1,591.70 an ounce. The price climbed for the fourth straight session, the longest rally since Aug 21.

Silver futures for May delivery rose 1.1 percent to $29.171 an ounce.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, platinum futures for April delivery fell 0.4 percent to $1,595 an ounce.

Palladium futures for June delivery dropped 0.5 percent to $775.50 an ounce.

CRUDE OIL

Crude oil advanced as the euro trimmed losses against the dollar and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries increased production.

On the Nymex, oil futures for April delivery rose 0.5 percent to $92.54 a barrel.

Brent oil for April settlement dropped 0.5 percent to $109.65 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange.

OAO Lukoil’s Litasco bought a cargo of Forties crude at the lowest differential in almost 11 months. Statoil ASA bid for Russian Urals blend at the highest spread in almost a month.

Daily exports of the 12 main grades of North Sea crude for loading in April will increase 8 percent to the highest in 10 months, programs obtained by Bloomberg News showed.

OIL PRODUCTS

Gasoline was little changed following wide price swings linked to volatile biofuel-credit prices.

On the Nymex, gasoline futures for April delivery slid 0.1 percent to $3.1502 a gallon. The price rose as much as 1.2 percent and dropped as much as 1.6 percent.

Heating-oil futures for April delivery fell 0.7 percent to $2.9484 a gallon.

India introduces 4% excise duty on Silver produced from Zinc

India introduced a 4 percent excise duty on silver manufactured from smelting zinc or lead.

India's Finance minister P. Chidambaram however didn't raise import duty non gold in his budget presentation in the country’s parliament early Thursday.

Chidambaram however introduced a 0.01 percent Commodities Transactions Tax (CTT) for commodity futures in a limited way from next fiscal year.He exempted agri commodities from the CTT.

The Finance Minister also introduced a string of reforms,opening India to wider foreign investment and cutting deficit-ballooning spending and subsidies to avert a damaging credit rating downgrade and boost corporate spending.

India's share market regulator SEBI will simplify procedures for entry of foreign portfolio investors to invest in India.

All public sector banks to have ATM's by the end of this year. A new women's bank to be set up for lending to women's entrepreuners, and allots rs 1000 crores in the budget. The bank is also to have a majority of women employees