EUROPE MINOR METALS-Antimony hits records on China supply fears

 By Pratima Desai

 LONDON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Antimony prices vaulted to record
highs again this week as strong demand from consumers in Europe
met short supplies from top producer China, traders said.
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 The minor metal used to fire-proof paints and plastics
ANT-LON rose to an all-time high of $13,500/14,000 a tonne
from $13,000/$13,500 a tonne last week. It has hit consecutive
new record highs since last November.
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 "There's no let up at all, there is very little coming out
of China. Environmental inspections have meant most of the
smelters producing antimony in China have been closed down," a
London-based trader said.
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 Prices have jumped more than 230 percent since hitting
four-year lows of $4,100 a tonne in April 2009 when fears that a
deep recession could turn into a 1930s style depressiong
prompted consumers to slash inventories.
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 Chinese authorities in the Hunan province closed hundreds of
small or illegal antimony smelters early last year, as it tried
to consolidate the industry and manage supplies.  
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 In the city of Lengshuijiang, which contributes about 60
percent of world output, hundreds of illegal antimony smelters
were shut down late March last year. [ID:nTOE635050] 
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 "Demand in Europe is picking up, where do we go from here,
perhaps $15,000 or even higher," a UK-based trader said.
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 Antimony is extracted from stibnite ore and is also a
byproduct of silver, copper and lead. It increases flame
retardant effectiveness in plastics, paints, adhesives,
sealants, rubber and textile back coatings.  
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 Without antimony, plastics used in applications such as
computer casings and televisions would melt.  

http://af.reuters.com/article/metalsNews/idAFLDE70Q2AB20110127