China’s unwrought copper imports declined by 7.2% year-on-year to 837,000 metric tons in the first two months of 2025, customs data on Friday showed, due to increased domestic smelting capacity that reduced the need for additional imports.
Deliverable copper stocks on the Shanghai Futures Exchange stood at 268,337 tons on February 28, more than double the 83,174 tons recorded on January 3.
Source – Reuters
Teck Resources (NYSE:TECK) said late Tuesday it received an environmental assessment certificate from the British Columbia provincial government to extend the life of the Highland Valley copper mine into the mid-2040s.
“This positive decision by the Government of B.C. will support extending the life of Canada’s largest copper mine, strengthening the North America critical minerals supply chain and contributing to jobs and economic activity,” Teck (TECK) President and CEO Jonathan Price said.
Source – Seeking Alpha
Shares in the gold miner are currently swapping hands at $76.60 apiece, more than 2% higher from the open as investors process the numbers.
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Source – The Motley Fool
“Chinese authorities see a greater role for gold in the future international monetary system, or they wouldn’t continue buying such extraordinary amounts of gold. Via London alone, the PBoC has stockpiled 1,000 tonnes of gold since Russia’s foreign exchange assets were ‘frozen’ by the West in early 2022.” Nieuwenhuijs wrote
Source – Money Metals
JP Morgan expects the global deficit in refined copper to grow to 160,000 metric tons in 2026 and continues to forecast copper prices averaging around $11,000 per metric ton next year, the bank said in a note dated Friday.
“Likely excess inventory builds in the U.S. in the coming months ahead of a tariff on copper sets up the potential to leave the rest of the world shorter of copper … setting the stage for our forecast bullish push higher over 2H25 towards $10,400/mt,” JP Morgan noted.
Source – Reuters
Supply is expected to grow by 3 percent, but it won’t be nearly enough to feed growing demand. This will lead to a 149 million-ounce market deficit. While the gap between supply and demand will shrink by about 19 percent from last year’s level, it will remain “sizeable historically.”
Source – Money Metals / Written by Mike Maharrey
U.S. President Donald Trump sprang a double surprise on the copper market when he announced import tariffs of 50% effective next month.
The August 1 start date signals the end of the race to ship physical metal to the United States to capture the tariff arbitrage.
A lucky few with cargoes already afloat may yet cross the finishing line in time, but the physical tariff trade is rapidly unwinding.
The LME benchmark spread is now in a comfortable contango of $66 per ton, compared with a backwardation of more than $300 per ton at the end of June.
Source – Reuters
