US tariffs on copper imports may be coming within weeks, months earlier than Donald Trump’s original deadline for a decision, according to people familiar. He’s previously threatened a duty of 25% on one of the world’s most important metals—and it’s hurting American factories already. The price of copper traded in New York jumped to a record high. Keep on top of the latest with our tariff tracker.
Source – Bloomberg
Spot gold was down 1.2% at $2,882.49 an ounce as of 09:42 a.m. ET (1442 GMT), after hitting its lowest level since February 12 earlier in the session. Prices hit a record high of $2,956.15 on Monday, driven by safe-haven flows.
“The direction of gold is very evident, and these short-term bumps and some profit taking is just a normal part of the cycle,” said Alex Ebkarian, chief operating officer at Allegiance Gold.
Spot silver retreated 0.5% to $31.67 an ounce, platinum fell 0.9% to $957.10 and palladium dropped 0.9% to $917.96.
Source – Reuters
Miner Freeport-McMoRan (FCX.N), beat Wall Street estimates for second-quarter profit on Wednesday, as higher copper and gold prices helped offset lower production.
The company’s shares rose 1.6% to $40.54 in pre-market trade.
Freeport could be a big beneficiary, seeing as much as $1.6-billion boost to annual profit, given its position as the largest U.S. producer with more expansion options than rivals.
Freeport, which supplies about 70% of U.S. refined copper, said it expects to sell 1.3 billion pounds from its domestic mines in 2025.
Source – Reuters
NGD’s gold production reached 298,303 ounces in 2024, whereas its guidance was 300,000-310,000 ounces.
New Gold’s copper production was at 14.5 million pounds for the fourth quarter, up 20% year over year. The annual copper production totaled 54 million pounds, within the company’s guidance of 50-60 million pounds.
The New Afton mine produced 19,652 ounces of gold and 14.5 million pounds of copper in the fourth quarter. Gold production increased 19% and copper production rose 15% from the third quarter of 2024. The B3 cave performed per expectations.
Source – Zacks
Chile’s state-owned Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, said on Wednesday it would supply copper concentrates to India’s Adani Group’s $1.2 billion smelter, the world’s biggest single-location plant of its type.
The supply will begin this year, said Codelco
Codelco also separately signed a preliminary agreement with Hindustan Copper to cooperate on exploring and processing minerals.
Source – Reuters
Gold prices climbed on Thursday due to escalating concerns about U.S. President Donald Trump’s impending tariff plans, which could further strain global trade relations.
Spot gold added 0.3% to $2,913.40 per ounce as of 11:58 a.m. ET (1658 GMT), moving back towards its record peak of $2,942.70 hit on Tuesday. U.S. gold futures firmed 0.4% to $2,941.40.
“The major factor is political uncertainty and the economic consequences … the PPI was pretty much neutral and it didn’t really have much of an effect on gold, investors around the world are worried about what the Trump policies will do to the overall economy,” said Jeffrey Christian, managing partner of CPM Group.
Spot silver fell 0.3% to $32.13 per ounce. Platinum was down 0.2% to $990.15 and palladium was up 1.6% to $989.50.
Source – Reuters
Platinum demand outpaced supply by 995,000 ounces last year. That was 46 percent higher than forecast.
Meanwhile, platinum jewelry sales grew by 8 percent in 2024, and investment demand took off, rising by 77 percent.
The WPIC forecasts that jewelry demand will reach 2 million ounces this year, an increase of 2 percent year-on-year.
Source – Money Metals
