Copper is down by 5.01%
Copper decreased 5.01% to 4.8504 USD/Lbs
Morpher AI identified a bearish signal. The commodity price may continue to fall based on the momentum of the negative news.
Copper is a widely used industrial metal known for its conductivity and corrosion resistance. It is a key component in various industries, especially in electrification and infrastructure development.
COPPER commodity is down 5.9% on May 22, 2024 22:00
Copper decreased 5.01% to 4.8504 USD/Lbs
Copper futures were below $5 per pound, easing from the record-high $5.2 on May 20th as poor demand in the near term weighed against speculative bets that triggered a broad-based surge in base metals this month. Import demand in China, the world's top copper consumer, remained at extremely low levels despite tight ore supply and low treatment volumes in the country's huge refining industry. This lifted inventories to four-year highs and drove deliveries from bonded warehouses to a sharp discount to LME prices for the first time since data started in 2017, indicating low physical demand. Still, speculative bets for copper kept prices 30% higher year-to-date, based on its key role in electrification in grid-scale energy storage and data-center infrastructure, matching eventual traction in Chinese bidding after Bejing unveiled historical measures to prop up its economy. This coincides with large costs to add new supply, driving miners to M&A action instead of developing new projects.
Copper futures rose toward $5.15 per pound in May, retesting the record high and extending a recent rally as speculative demand magnified concerns of looming shortages. Beijing announced it would purchase unsold housing inventory to limit defaults for distressed developers, adding to infrastructure stimulus through new long-dated debt issuance. This magnified speculative bets for copper due to its key role in electrification in grid-scale energy storage and data-center infrastructure. Fresh mine supply is low, as high costs of committing to new projects drove giant miners to M&A activity instead of new projects, headlined by BHP’s second attempt to buy Anglo American. The speculative nature of copper bids lifted prices despite low demand in the near term. The ICSG expects the copper market to end at a surplus for 2024 and 2025, while low Chinese demand lifted national inventories to four-year highs, resulting in the first-ever discount to take deliveries from bonded warehouses.
Copper futures touched a record high of $5.15 per pound before steadying above $5.1 on Monday as strong demand expectations and tight supply, intensified worries about potential shortages. The Chinese government announced it will purchase unsold housing inventory to combat oversupply and limit defaults for distressed developers. This comes on top of CNY 1 trillion in stimulus through long-dated bond issuance this year, largely aimed at infrastructure. This magnified bullish bets for copper consumption due to its key role in electrification, from grid-scale energy storage to data-center infrastructure. In turn, low copper availability hampered output forecasts for smelters in China, responsible for over half of global supply. Hopes of added mine supply are dim, as high costs of committing to new projects drove giant miners to M&A activity instead of new projects, recently headlined by BHP’s second attempt to buy Anglo American.
Copper increased to an all-time high of 5.15 USD/Lbs. Over the past 4 weeks, Copper gained 14.66%, and in the last 12 months, it increased 39.28%.
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