Zinc miners had a bad Thursday. Nexa Resources, which mines zinc in Peru and Brazil and runs smelters that refine it, closed at US$11.31 after a -4.96% move.
The main cause was not zinc itself but fear. The S&P 500 fell 4.36% and the VIX, Wall Street’s gauge of expected turbulence, leapt 69.66%, so investors dumped anything tied to the economic cycle.
Zinc is mostly used to galvanise steel, coating it against rust for buildings, bridges and cars, so its miners rise and fall with growth worries. Buenaventura, which mines mainly gold and silver, lost less at -1.63%.
What matters today. Latin America’s zinc miners are being priced as a bet on global growth, and on Thursday, November 5, 2026 that bet looked much riskier.
01 The session in one read
Thursday, November 5, 2026 was a day of flight from risk. The S&P 500 dropped 4.36% and the VIX surged 69.66%, a jump that tells you traders were rushing to buy protection.
Nexa, a pure zinc name, took the heavier blow at -4.96%. Buenaventura, whose gold and silver output shelters it, slipped -1.63%.
The best-supported reading is that a broad risk-off shock pulled Nexa down, with its own cost pressures and a pending takeover adding weight. We are fairly sure of the first cause and less sure of the others, hence medium confidence. The variable to watch is whether the VIX falls back below the 28.18 level it reached on Thursday.
Zinc — the daily wrap.02 The board
Nexa closed at US$11.31, after weeks of weakness. Buenaventura closed at US$28.33.
The gap between them matters. Nexa depends on zinc and on smelting margins, while Buenaventura also earns from precious metals that tend to attract buyers in a panic.
Source: RT close, 2026-11-05. Where a commodity has no spot feed, an exchange-traded tracker or leading producer is shown as a labelled proxy.
Latin America — Cross-Market Board
03 Why it moved
Cause one, and the heaviest, is the equity rout. When the S&P 500 loses 4.36% in a day, funds raise cash by selling cyclical shares such as miners first, whatever the news from the mines. Confidence: high.
Cause two is company-specific pressure on Nexa. Its latest quarterly report showed a net loss, and management said higher zinc prices had raised what its smelters pay for purchased ore, squeezing margins. Confidence: medium.
Cause three is a pending change of owner. Boliden’s deal for Votorantim’s controlling stake in Nexa is not due to close until the first quarter of 2027, which leaves the shares exposed to market mood in the meantime. Confidence: low to medium.
The usual drivers disagreed with the move. The dollar index was flat at 101.56, the 10-year Treasury yield fell 4 basis points to 4.85%, and the gold fund GLD rose 0.81%, all conditions that normally help miners. That they did not shows fear outweighed them.
04 The trend behind it
This is a continuation, not a new phase. Nexa is down 9.59% over 20 sessions and 22.4% over 60, and it trades 32.4% below its 12-month high of 16.72, set on 2026-05-06. It is still 115.4% above its 12-month low of 5.25, hit on 2025-11-07.
Buenaventura is down 9.86% over 20 sessions and 35.1% below its 12-month high of 43.67, set on 2026-02-27. Its 5-session gain of 2.68% shows buyers had been returning before Thursday.
Our own archive adds perspective. Since 2017, in the 51 earlier cases when Nexa had fallen at least this much in 20 sessions, it was higher 20 sessions later in 22 cases, or 43%, with a median change of -1.9% and a worst case of -57.0%. For Buenaventura, since 2007, it was higher in 49 of 94 cases, or 52%, with a median of +0.6% and a worst case of -61.3%. History is not a forecast.
05 What it means for Latin America
Peru is the most exposed, since both Nexa, through its Cajamarquilla smelter and mines, and Buenaventura are listed Peruvian-linked names. Mining taxes and royalties feed the Peruvian budget, so lasting weakness in metals shows up in public finances.
Brazil hosts Nexa’s Aripuanã mine, and Mexico and Bolivia also matter as major zinc producers, though we have no fresh figures on their output. For ordinary savers, the lesson is that regional miners move with global fear as much as with local news.
06 The names to watch
Nexa is the cleaner zinc proxy. Its 12-month low of 5.25 is far below, so the nearer test is how it behaves after its 20-session fall of 9.59%.
Buenaventura offers a different read. Support sits at its 12-month low of 21.68, set on 2025-11-05, and resistance at its 12-month high of 43.67.
07 What would end it
The slide ends when fear fades. A VIX back below Thursday’s 28.18 and a steadier S&P 500 would let investors look at zinc demand again, and the US jobs report due this Friday is the next test for that mood.
The takeover timetable is the second marker, with Boliden’s closing expected in the first quarter of 2027. Our honest answer: it can stop quickly if Wall Street calms, but with Nexa 22.4% lower over 60 sessions, a single good day will not reverse the trend.
08 What to watch
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Nexa Resources fall on Thursday, November 5, 2026?
Mainly because Wall Street fell 4.36% and the VIX jumped 69.66%, which hit cyclical shares. Nexa’s margin pressure and pending takeover added to the weight.
What is zinc used for?
Mostly to galvanise steel, coating it against rust in construction, cars and infrastructure. That ties zinc to economic growth.
Which Latin American countries matter for zinc?
Peru, Bolivia and Mexico are major producers, and Brazil matters through Nexa’s Aripuanã mine.
Is Nexa’s fall a sign it will keep falling?
Not necessarily. In 51 earlier similar falls, it was higher 20 sessions later in 43% of cases, but history is not a forecast.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI ·