Last year was exciting for zinc — after being the best-performing LME metal in 2016, it enjoyed another year of surging highs in 2017. SEE MORE Oil prices slipped on Thursday as an escalating trade dispute between the United States and China outweighed the bullish impact of a decline in U.S. commercial crude inventories. SEE MORE Gold prices slipped on Thursday as tariff fears and rate hike views buoyed the U.S. dollar. SEE MORE U.S. economic growth will slow steadily over the coming quarters after touching a four-year high in April-June, according to a Reuters poll of economists who expect President Donald Trump’s trade war to inflict damage. SEE MORE With Brexit looming and Britain’s future with the EU still very much up in the air, many companies are scaling back their UK operations or at least postponing investment, though some firms are more optimistic. SEE MORE