At the midday close, China’s front-month futures were mostly higher. Shanghai
silver gained over 4%, palladium nearly 4%, container freight on Europe routes,
synthetic rubber and platinum rose more than 3%; LPG, Shanghai gold, benzene and
asphalt were up over 2%. On the downside, alumina fell about 2%; iron ore, palm
oil, starch, corn, fiberboard and plywood declined more than 1%; rapeseed meal
slipped nearly 1%.