Lead prices have jumped almost 40% this year to this week's record high of over $2,220 a tonne. And the poisonous metal used mostly in batteries for vehicles, computers and fork-lift trucks and also in the glass and plastics industries looks poised for further gains, says FAZ.net.
The International Lead and Zinc Study Group anticipates a supply deficit of around 50,000 tonnes of refined lead in 2007, marking a fifth successive annual shortfall, while stockpiles tracked by the London Metal Exchange have fallen by 55% over the past year to under 47,000 tonnes, little more than two days' annual consumption, says Reuters.
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