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Glencore acts to benefit from LME post-sanction guideline modification

Mining and trading house Glencore aims to take thousands of metric tons of Russian aluminium from the London Metal Exchange (LME) and return it at a later date to benefit from rule modifications, 3 sources familiar with the matter stated.

The LME has prohibited from its system Russian aluminium, copper and nickel produced from April 13 to comply with new U.S. and UK sanctions enforced over Russia's intrusion of Ukraine.

For metal produced before April 13, the guidelines separate between Type 1 and Type 2 Russian warrants - title documents conferring ownership.

The difference creates a trading chance for business such as Glencore, which has a multi-year agreement with Russia's. Rusal, the world's biggest aluminium manufacturer outside China.

The contract expires in the 2nd half of 2024. Detail of. just how much metal it covers has actually not been revealed.

London-listed Glencore declined to comment.

Under the new rules, the Type 1 contracts enable UK LME. members and their customers to freely trade Russian metal warrants. in existence before April 13.

The Type 2 classification covers Russian metal produced previously. April 13 but not yet on LME warrant, and which UK companies can. just trade or take physical shipment of for non-UK clients.

That makes it most likely the metal will remain in the LME. system, providing scope for what are referred to as lease offers, or. agreements that allow LME storage facilities to share their costs, or. rental income, with business that deliver metal to them.

Glencore plans to take the aluminium from the LME system and. Rewarrant it later on to turn it into Type 2 metal, the. sources stated, speaking on condition of anonymity since they. were not authorised to speak to the press.

They said Glencore on Monday cancelled around 80,000 metric. lots of Russian aluminium in LME-registered storage in. Gwangyang, South Korea, implying they were preparing take it out. of the LME system.

The sources did not give further detail.

LME SAYS MONITORING CLOSELY

The LME said in emailed comment that the new UK and U.S. sanctions have actually been carried out on its market in an organized. fashion but it continues to keep an eye on the marketplace carefully.

It said it was all set to take additional action ought to that be. required, consisting of in relation to negative market behaviours as. an outcome of the intro of the current sanctions.

Under rent offers, the company that provides metal to a. storage facility does not have to keep ownership, but can get a share. of the lease, paid by the brand-new owners, for as long as the metal. remain in that warehouse.

Lease for storing aluminium in LME warehouses is around 55. U.S. cents a load a day or $44,000 for 80,000 loads.

Stocks of aluminium, used extensively in power, building and construction and. product packaging, in Gwangyang << MAL-KRKAN-TOT > on April 15 stood at. 237,550 loads or 46 %of the total 517,350 loads stored in LME. storage facilities< MALSTX-TOTAL > worldwide. The sources stated>. most of the metal in Gwangyang was Glencore's and was Russian. The cost of aluminium has pulled back to around.

$ 2,550 a load after leaping to a 22-month high of $ 2,728 a heap on. Monday in a knee-jerk response to the news of the bans on. exchanges accepting Russian metal.

(source: Reuters)