CIJENE OBOJENIH METALA NA BURZI U LONDONU

LONDONSKA BURZA KOVINA: SLUŽBENE CIJENE 01.05.1997. LME OFFICIAL PRICES - MAY 01 CASH 3 MTHS 15 MTHS 27 MTHS SETT COPPER 2440.0/41.0 2366.0/67.0 2080.0/90.0 2005.0/15.0 2441 (STG EQV) 1503.91 1460.62 TIN 5645/5655 5690/5700 5790/5800 5655 LEAD 616.50/7.00 627.00/7.50 663.00/8.00 617 (STG EQV) 380.14 387.21 ZINC 1246.0/46.5 1269.0/70.0 1232.0/37.0 1188.0/93.0 1246.5 ALU.HG 1598.0/99.0 1628.5/29.5 1625.0/30.0 1598.0/03.0 1599 NICKEL 7225/7230 7320/7325 7570/7590 7740/7760 7230 ALALLOY 1475.0/80.0 1500.0/05.0 1595.0/15.0 1480 SETTLEMENT RATES - GBP 1.6231 DEM 1.7251 JPY 127.04 Copper, aluminium lose momentum on slow LME LONDON, May 1 (Reuter) - LME copper and aluminium drifted lower in sluggish activity on Thursday afternoon, but the markets were well-underpinned and only pausing, traders and analysts said. Turnover was light due to the May Day holiday in much of Europe and the Golden Week celebrations in Japan. Britain observes a holiday on Monday, May 5, so LME activity is likely to be muted on Friday as well. "The closes are not too positive, but I don't think you can read too much into it," said analyst Martin Squires of broker Rudolf Wolff. Three months copper finished the afternoon kerb $19 weaker at $2,360 a tonne after failing to sustain a move in the morning to $2,382. The premium of cash over three months material eased to $75/$80 from about $88 on Wednesday evening. Traders said the downside was limited due to the backwardation and supply side difficulties. A small group of miners at Chile's huge Escondida mine were on strike, as were workers at Quebrada Blanca, another Chilean mine. "And with the smelter shutdowns, it's all a bit worrying," Squires said, referring to the maintenance closure of the Kennecott smelter in the U.S. and work planned on the Huelva smelter in Spain. Support was pegged at $2,350 and at a trendline around $2,320. Resistance was seen at $2,380 and $2,400. Traders were unsure whether stocks would show another build on Friday, but more material was expected to leave Singapore, one said. Aluminium also ended weaker after failing at $1,647 in the morning. It lost $17 to end the day at $1,628. "I think we're in for a little consolidation," Squires said. Support was pegged at a chart gap at $1,614-$1,620. The others were lacklustre, holding to recent ranges. Nickel fell $30 to $7,350, while zinc lost $4 to $1,269. Tin gained $10 to $5,710 and lead added $2 to $626, continuing to recover from its slide to an 18-month low of $615 on Tuesday. Alloy shed $10 to $1,505. 020837 MET may 97