Hindustan Zinc was down 5% to Rs 657.90, Sterlite Industries was down 5.5% to Rs 491 and Hindalco had shed 2.3% to Rs 178.80, in response to the fall in metal prices arising from fund-liquidation. Reports indicate that a hedge fund had suffered heavy losses. As many as 70,174 shares changed hands in Hindustan Zinc, 57,645 shares go transacted in Sterlite Industries and 43,630 shares were traded in Hindalco.
Benchmark copper for delivery in three months closed at $5,330, down 4.8% from Thursday's close of $5,600. In New York, copper futures closed at their cheapest levels in ten months. Rising LME copper stocks also dampened sentiment, with stocks up 127% over the last year and up nearly 5,000 tonnes this week. Copper is down more than 12% since the start of the year and around $3,000 below the peak hit in May 2006.
Zinc ended down at $3,085 versus $3,390 after falling 11.8% at one point, to $2,990 on Friday. Zinc prices have tumbled by more than 25% since the start of the year on worries about a looming surplus, China's reporting net exports of zinc in 2006 and a slowing demand in Europe and the United States.
Aluminum fell a relatively modest 1.2%, to $2,720, on Friday.
Hedge fund Red Kite, which posted strong gains in 2006, has suffered an approximately 20% loss in the first days of January, and is now trying to stall investors, who want to pull money out, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Back home, in January, the government cut import duty on non-ferrous metal from 7.5% to 5% in a bid to control inflation.
Copper and zinc makers reported a strong financial performance in the December 2006 quarter on the back of firm prices of these metals on a year-on-year basis. Hindustan Zincs net profit rose 305.8% in the Dec-06 quarter to Rs 1335 crore, on 171.3% growth in net sales to Rs 2480 crore.
Hindalcos net profit rose 91.5% in the Dec 2006 quarter to Rs 643.90 crore on 62.1% growth in net sales to Rs 4656.20 crore.
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