Overview
- Copper futures set a record above $13,000 a ton on Monday, with London prices up as much as about 4% intraday.
- U.S. tariff risk drew large volumes into American warehouses, lifting Comex-registered stocks to about 453,450 metric tons after a 400% surge since April.
- A strike at Capstone Copper’s Mantoverde mine in Chile, alongside earlier disruptions in Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, intensified concerns over shipments.
- The cash-to-three-month spread on the LME remained in backwardation, signaling tight near-term availability and elevated squeeze risk.
- Analysts diverged on balances, with UBS and Macquarie pointing to a 2025 surplus while China Securities and Citi forecast a 2026 shortfall of roughly 100,000 to 308,000 tons.