Malaysian tin fell $20 a tonne on Friday on profit-taking, after hitting a two-week high and returning to the psychologically-important $9,000-a-tonne mark the day before.
Spot tin on the Kuala Lumpur Tin Market (KLTM) closed 0.2 percent down at $8,990 a tonne on a transaction of 144 tonnes.
It had jumped $55, or 0.6 percent, to touch $9,010 a tonne on Thursday on a volume of 110 tonnes. Prior to that, it last breached $9,000 on October 13, closing at $9,130.
"It was more of a profit-taking today, after what happened yesterday," said a trader. "And the close on the LME didn't help either."
Tin on the LME, or London Metal Exchange, ended flat on Thursday at $9,050 a tonne. The London market lends direction to the KLTM when there are no local leads to follow.
Dealers noted initial bids for only 95 tonnes in Friday;s KLTM against offers for 144 tonnes. Buyers came from Japan, Europe and Malaysia.
The drop on the KLTM versus the flat close on the LME narrowed the premium for shipping a tonne of Malaysian tin to Europe by $20 to $175 a tonne.
On Thursday, the premium, which is calculated using freight, insurance and other financial costs, stood at $195 a tonne.