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
Despite the losses of the last few days, the Copper price on the Comex is up a good 25 percent since the beginning of the year, almost on a par with tin. But on the LME, too, Copper is trading around 10 percent higher than at the beginning of the year, Commerzbank’s commodity analyst Barbara Lambrecht notes.
Source – FX Street
First Quantum decision suggests movement to resolve investor dispute with Central American government
Canada’s First Quantum Minerals on Monday said it was stepping back from a multibillion-dollar arbitration demand against Panama’s government over the closing of one of the world’s largest copper mines.
Source – Financial Times
Copper prices in the U.S. have surged ahead of those in the rest of world and hit a record last week, a sign the mere threat of tariffs is lifting costs for domestic manufacturers.
Benchmark U.S. copper futures ended Monday at $5.02 a pound, up 26% this year. That compares with an 11% gain to $9,673 a metric ton, or about $4.39 a pound, on the London Metal Exchange, which is the global trading hub.
U.S. copper futures have been the top performer among major commodities in the first quarter. Prices for the industrial metal last week topped the record set in May but have since pulled back. Copper’s gains have outpaced the 21% rise in lumber futures, which was also fueled by uncertainty over tariffs.
Source – Wall Street Journal
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
Glencore has suspended production and declared force majeure on copper shipments from its Altonorte smelter in Chile due to an issue affecting the plant’s furnace, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, in a setback that comes just as traders and producers race to ship more metal to the U.S. ahead of tariffs.
Much of the copper produced in Chile is shipped to the U.S., where Comex prices have surged to record highs on worries about shortages due to tariffs; the most active Comex copper contract (HG1:COM) for May delivery hit $5.374/lb, or $11,847/metric ton on Wednesday.
Source – Seeking Alpha
Goldman Sachs on Wednesday maintained its London Metal Exchange copper price forecasts for the next year, and said it expected the implementation of U.S. tariffs on copper imports to prevent a U.S. stock glut in the third quarter.
Goldman forecasts three-, six-, and twelve-month LME copper prices at $9,600, $10,000 and $10,700 per metric ton respectively. The bank flagged a near-term downside risk to prices from a trade policy update due to take effect on April 2.
Source – Reuters
Copper is generally a good indicator because it’s used all over the economy — in factories, houses, electronics and streetlights, per Chris Berry, founder and president of House Mountain Partners.
“The next time you’re on an airplane at night, and you’re coming in for a landing, and you see any lights or anything like that, every single one of those lights is working because of the electrical conductivity of copper,” he said.
So, if the economy is growing, and we’re building more, we’ll need more copper.
Source – Market Place
Copper’s rise is likely led by Trump’s tariffs, weakening its appeal as leading indicator for risk assets, including cryptocurrencies.
Source – Coin Desk
Copper traded on the London Metal Exchange has jumped 14 per cent this year and reached $US10,046.50 a tonne on Thursday, the highest since October.
“Traders are redirecting the metal from Asia to take advantage of the price premium and skirt any potential tariffs on the metal,” said ANZ senior commodity strategist Daniel Hynes.
“The US copper rush could leave the rest of the world tight on copper if demand picks up more quickly than expected,” said ING commodity strategist Ewa Manthey.
Source – Financial Review