Copper prices on Tuesday for the first time exceeded the mark of $ 12 thousand per ton.
Quotes of three-month futures for copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) by 13:44 Q1 rose by 1% to $ 12,059 per ton.
Since the beginning of the year, the metal has risen in price by about 37%. If the same dynamics will be shown at the end of the year, it will be the strongest rise since 2009.
Quotes are supported by serious problems at some deposits and changes in trade flows due to the tariff policy of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The possibility of Trump’s introduction of duties on copper is one of the main factors in the growth of prices for this metal. The states have significantly increased its imports, forcing production companies from other countries into a highly competitive battle for the metal.
Outages at major mines in Chile and Peru and delays in Indonesia have reduced production by 8-12%, and the slow pace of new project development is limiting the global supply of concentrate.
In addition, Chinese smelters have agreed to the lowest-ever zero treatment and refining tariffs for 2026, which only emphasizes supply constraints and gives miners an additional bargaining advantage.
Meanwhile, demand in the electric vehicle, data center and power grid segments remains strong, with Goldman Sachs forecasting more than 60% growth in copper demand between now and 2030, Trading Economics wrote.
Earlier, the Experts Club information and analytical center released a video on global copper production and leading producing countries – https://youtube.com/shorts/_h8iU50z8C0?si=a-XkgGEfeUxseQNa.
