Copper tariff in effect August 1
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