global zinc prices forecast drop 45 percent

Bit of a worry - http://steelmillsoftheworld.com/news/newsdisplay_moreover.asp?slno=9832

Global zinc prices are forecast to drop by 45 pct next year
General News - 2007 December 31
Global zinc prices are forecast to drop by 45 per cent next year and average around USD1,780 a ton. The projection, made by Australia’s independent government economic research agency Abare, has been made on the expectations that new supply will come on line and stocks will recover as production exceeds consumption.


Stocks are expected to rise from an equivalent of 2.1 weeks of consumption at the end of 2007 to around 3.1 weeks by the end of next year. “There is some upside risk to the price assessment, however, in that new industry standards in China have the potential to reduce production of refined zinc, and result in a smaller rise in the end of year stocks,” Abare said in its outlook.