The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday, July 28, edition that BMO analysts raised their base metal price projections for the second half of 2021 while trimming their estimates for precious metals. The Globe's David Leeder writes that they increased their estimates for nickel, aluminium, zinc and lead by 7 to 8 per cent. The biggest change was for hard coking coal, raising their forecast by 14 per cent expecting higher prices will persist as "supply availability remains constrained within the Chinese value chain." The analysts trimmed their 2021 and 2022 silver price forecast by 1 per cent and their 2022 gold estimate by 3 per cent. The analysts say, "Collectively, with the base and bulks coverage we continue to have a preference for the North American steel producers, global diversified miners, and select iron ore and copper-exposed names." With an unchanged "market perform" rating, the analysts lowered their share target for Silvercorp Metals to $7.25 from $7.75. Analysts on average target the shares at $9.40. The BMO analysts add, "We continue to have a preference for the North American steel producers, global diversified miners, and select iron ore and copper-exposed names."