| Zinc mines tend to be smaller than gold and copper mines with fewer very large producers. But early next year, the first of several large mines will close with production of about 275,000 tons (275 Kt) a year.
Later in the year, another large mine is scheduled to shut down. Along with a few smaller operations, the market will lose more than 0.5 Mt next year alone, which is a big chunk of production. That will start the trend of depleting zinc inventories. In 2014, more large mines will close. These are structural changes in the industry because there are no large operations to replace them. The global decline in inventory should perk-up the price of zinc...............................................Full Article: Source
|