Lead prices drop 1 percent

Metals prices were mixed on the session. Gold added 0.2 percent to $671.55 per troy ounce. Base metals, however, saw prices decline. Copper and aluminium each dropped 0.8 percent, to $7,650 per tonne and $2,802.5 per tonne respectively.

Meanwhile, lead dropped 1 percent to $2,345 after Xstrata (LSE: XTA) said it will partially lift a force majeure on shipments from a refinery in the UK on July 1. The measure, imposed in February, exercised a common clause in contracts that frees a party or parties to the contract from obligations in the contract due to unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances. In this case, it was exercised due to problems at a mine in Australia which supplies the plant.