Overview
- LME copper spiked on Dec. 29 in volatile trade after the holiday reopen, approaching $13,000 a tonne with an intraday jump of up to 6.6% as New York futures eased.
- Importers accelerated shipments into the U.S. ahead of possible refined-copper tariffs, swelling Comex stocks to records and draining LME supply, which widened the pricing gap between the benchmarks.
- Unplanned mine disruptions, including curtailed deliveries from Freeport-McMoRan’s Grasberg operation in Indonesia, have tightened physical availability.
- Prices have climbed more than 35% to over 40% in 2025, marking the strongest annual gain since 2009 and extending the longest winning streak since 2017 into late December.
- U.S. builders face higher costs as a 50% tariff on finished copper products compounds elevated base prices, while some Chinese fabricators have cut or halted output, signaling demand sensitivity that could limit further gains.