FELL TO a 19-month low on the back of weak car battery sales.
Batteries account for two-thirds of global lead use.
But because of the mild winter in Europe and the U.S., sales of replacement auto cells have been sluggish. After falling consecutively for 20 months to May 1996, stockpiles on the London Metal Exchange stand at 113,950 tons, up from 89,075 that month. Analysts forecast a rosy global economic outlook 1997-98 and tight supplies should push lead prices up. A production deficit is expected to continue in 1997, but should narrow. All Rights Reserved.