FX.co ★ Tin Rises to Over 3-year High

At the start of the year, tin futures in the UK surged to $42,800 per tonne, marking their highest level since April 2022. This increase was driven by a positive outlook for higher long-term demand, coupled with impending supply challenges. Leading technology companies, which dominate capital expenditure in the US, Asia, and Europe, have positively influenced prospects for the construction of data centers and AI infrastructure. This has fueled speculative interest in tin, given its critical role in manufacturing circuit boards. On the supply side, the operational pace at the vital Man Maw mine has been sluggish since its closure for a resource audit in 2023, further exacerbated by infrastructure bottlenecks following a severe earthquake in the region. Additionally, pressure on supply was intensified by Indonesian President Subianto's directive to close 1,000 illegal tin mines in Sumatra, thereby reducing output from the world's second-largest tin supplier.