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'No immediate supply-demand shock' from LME restriction on Russian metals, Goldman states

The London Metal Exchange (LME) restriction on recently produced Russian metal will not pose any immediate supplydemand shock, analysts at Goldman Sachs said in a note on Monday.

The LME on Saturday prohibited from its system Russian metal produced on or after April 13 to abide by new U.S. and UK sanctions imposed for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russian producers can continue to offer metal to non-U.K./ US. markets, and thus from a basic viewpoint, these. exchange-focused rule adjustments will not create a required. supply-demand shock, the bank stated.

The LME's modifications will end the future supply of recently. produced Russian metal and might decrease the stickiness of. metals currently hung on the exchange, and need to at least. offer some minimal enhancement in demand for non-Russian. product, the bank added.

Yet the dislocation to Russian products due to Western. sanctions over the past 2 years has added to a build-up. of undesirable Russian metals on the LME, misshaping front-end. spreads. The increased liquidity in presently held Russian metal. might bring in a greater hunger to cancel these units,. especially for copper, the bank said.

Stay long copper and aluminium, the analysts wrote, while. expecting a reflationary phase with a structural extension in. bull markets for these two metals.

However, they anticipate that a continued surplus in the. nickel market will limit the sustainability of any advantage.

(source: Reuters)