Chile, the world’s No. 1 copper producer, will boost its output of the red metal to 5.54 million metric tons in 2034, representing a 5.6% increase from 2023, state-run copper commission Cochilco said on Wednesday.
Source – Reuters
The U.S. is expected to implement a 50% tariff on copper imports at the end of the week, but what happens next is anyone’s guess as talk of an exemption for Chile, the biggest U.S. supplier of the metal, and a potential U.S. and European “metal alliance” heats up.
“There remains uncertainty over country-based exemptions and a general sense of tariff fatigue,” wrote Natalie Scott-Gray, senior metals demand analyst at StoneX, in a note Tuesday. The European Union, meanwhile, looks to get a break when it comes to U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum and copper.
President Donald Trump’s announcement on July 8 of the coming tariff had led to a 13% spike in copper prices that day, to settle at $5.6855 a pound, a record-high finish at that time, based on data going back to 1968, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
Scott-Gray said that when it comes to a potential country-based tariff exemption, Chile is “singled out,” not just because of Marcel’s comments and ongoing negotiations this week, but because the U.S. is reliant on Chile’s imports and the fact that the U.S. holds a trade surplus with Chile, she said.
Source – Market Watch
Texans are to be allowed to pay with with gold and silver for everyday transactions after Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1056 into law. The law, which was championed by Republican state representative Mark Dorazio, designates the precious metals as legal tender in the state.
Texans will be able to use their gold and silver holdings, stored in the state’s bullion depository, for payments through electronic systems such as mobile apps or debit cards.
The provision comes after legislative debate, and takes effect on May 1, 2027, enabling transactions based on the state comptroller’s valuation of the metals at the time of sale.
Source – Newsweek
Legal Tender – officially recognized money
Gold inventories in New York are on a path to levels last seen at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with stockpiles in the city hitting $82 billion.
“People can’t get their hands on gold because so much has been shipped to New York, and the rest is stuck in the queue,” an unnamed industry executive told the FT. “Liquidity in the London market has been diminished.”
“London remains the major gold market in the world. If you are involved in that market and want to trade or use your gold, you really need to have it in London,” BoE governor Andrew Bailey told the U.K.’s Treasury Committee.
Source – Fortune
India’s steel-to-power conglomerate JSW Group plans to set up a 500,000 metric ton capacity copper smelter in the eastern state of Odisha by 2028/29 with feedstock of copper concentrate from Peru and Chile, a source directly aware of the matter told Reuters on Thursday.
JSW plans to feed its planned electric vehicle and battery manufacturing facilities with the copper produced at the smelter, the source added. Some of the concentrate supply will come from Hindustan Copper, the source said.
Source – Reuters
First, I had no idea that Arizona has a couple of nicknames one of them being “Copper State”. Pretty interesting fact.
I wanted to share this article because there are mining companies here in the United States that are not talked about enough or just don’t get attention. Being interested in precious metals myself, I’d like to know what’s going on with this particular interest and certain information whether it pertains to me or not, but I felt this was interesting because the locals of this area in Arizona are having to deal with certain changes.
I would like to include more of these types of articles in the future if anyone is interested but all things precious metals deserve to be know, I feel.
One of North America’s largest known undeveloped copper deposits, with visions of multiple open pits and a tailings dump stretching down from the mountains toward the narrow Sycamore Canyon’s far rim.
“You come here for some peace and quiet,” Corona de Tucson resident Kevin Kennedy said, “and a mine is anything but.” reported Brandon Loomis
The neighbors and regional environmental groups all make the case that the Sky Islands in general and the Santa Ritas in particular are no place for a massive new mine with multiple open pits. The mountains are home to rare birds and occasionally rarer mammals, like the jaguar, and are considered one of the nation’s most biologically diverse mixing zones of tropical, desert and Rocky Mountain species.
“There are places that are so precious that they shouldn’t be mined,” said Rob Peters, who directs the local advocacy group Save the Scenic Santa Ritas.
Source – Arizona Republic
I will soon do an article on copper and it’s investing benefits, pros and cons in the near future but please let me know if this is something you would like to see or if you like the news style.
It’s been quite fun posting updates on the precious metals world, and I’d like to know your point of view, likes or dislikes. I would like to hear from you!
Over the last two months, 12.9 million troy ounces (401 metric tons) of gold were delivered to COMEX-approved warehouses, raising stocks there by 73.5% to 30.4 million ounces, the highest since July 2022.
According to the Swiss data, gold deliveries from the country to the U.S. rose to 64.2 tons in December from 3.3 tons in the last month of 2023. In March 2022, when global markets were grappling with immediate consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Switzerland exported 81.5 tons of gold to the U.S.
Source – US News / Reuters
