Iakov Kalinin/Adobe Stock
To an external viewer, the wheels can appear to grind slowly at the world’s oldest metal exchange.
But the years have taught the London Metal Exchange about the danger of hasty rule changes — often made for the best of intentions, such changes can lead to unexpected consequences.
In addition, as the LME is at pains to point out, the exchange’s network of warehouses operates in numerous locations around the world, each with distinct laws and regulations; new rules not carefully though out could contravene those differing sets of laws.
As frustrating as it can sometimes be to the trade, the LME’s cautious approach to changes designed to improve the experience for buyers, sellers, and stakeholders of the market — such as warehouse operators — is a methodology that in the long run mitigates the risk of “unintended consequences.”
The LME’s recent changes take just such a cautious approach.
After consultation far and wide, the LME released a Press Office statement Friday that outlined three main changes, plus additional commentary on what was proposed but the LME felt was too early to implement.
Broadly, the first change is intended to improve logistical optimization and is designed in part to guard against the structural queue model. The Queue-Based Rent Capping (QBRC) period has been extended from 50 to 80 days over a nine-month period and is intended to allow warehouse operators to compete more effectively for metal.
Queues have been probably the most sensitive issue the LME has had to address in the years since the financial crisis, so extending the permitted period took some consideration.
The exchange says it remains vigilant to such incentives not out-bidding or distorting physical market premiums and has instigated a reporting regime to monitor such risks. The LME intends to freeze rents and FOT load out charges until 2027-28 to mitigate the gulf between LME and non-LME warehouse rates.
On the topic of off-warrant stocks, the exchange is implementing a reporting regime intended to increase transparency and allow the market “to trade on the basis of a more holistic view of metal availability” – a move many of us welcome.
The LME intends to do this by requiring reporting for any metal in LME-registered sheds and/or under agreements in which the owner has a right to warrant metal in the future but is currently not on warrant.
Although the identity of the off-warrant metal owners will not be revealed, warehouse companies will gather and report the tonnage data periodically. There will still be some material that is not stored in exchange warehouses and where the owner is willing to pass the option of ever delivering such metal onto the exchange — but that is likely to be the exception.
Ultimately, the LME remains the market of last resort, as such is an option any investor would want to retain.
Do not, however, expect this data to be instantly available.
The LME caveats its plans by saying it will not release the data unless and until it is satisfied that the data is reliable and accurate – that could mean months, possibly a year, of monitoring.
Finally, of less interest to metal consumers is the seemingly arcane practice of so-called “evergreen rent deals,” whereby the owner retains an interest in warehouse rent on warrants they have sold on.
Going forward, this practice is only to be allowed on metal that is placed on warrant for the first time, not for warrants that are already registered and sold on. The intention is to incentivize metal coming onto the exchange but avoid a largely pointless ongoing cost that adds nothing to market efficiency.
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As we said in the opener, these changes are an opening gambit and remain subject to monitoring and, if necessary, adjustment should any of the changes prove counterproductive or should additional steps be required.
