Best of 2018: Top Copper Posts of the Year, From Escondida to Trade Fears

We’ve taken a stroll down Steel Street and Aluminum Avenue — what about copper?
Need buying strategies for copper in 2019? MetalMiner’s Annual Outlook has what you need
The LME copper price surged to a 2018 high in early June, reaching $7,261.50 per ton, before plunging below the $6,000 per ton level about six weeks later. Since then, copper has traded relatively sideways through much of the year’s fourth quarter.

Screen Shot 2018 12 21 at 4.15.14 PM
LME copper price in 2018. Source: LME

2018 also saw a labor saga at BHP’s Escondida mine in Chile — among other 2018 copper mine labor disputes — which was eventually resolved after months of talks.
On a macroscopic level, the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China — yielding a total exchange of $360 billion in tariffs on each other’s imports — has had a depressive effect on markets around the world. China has seen softer demand for various metals, including the so-called Dr. Copper (dubbed as such for its perceived efficacy as an indicator of overall economic health). Some sort of trade agreement between the U.S. and China will go a long way toward stabilizing and, furthermore, injecting life into metals markets.
With all of that said, let’s take a ride down Copper Court and look back at some of the top copper stories on MetalMiner this year:

  1. Copper Had a Big 2017, but What Does 2018 Hold?

  2. Mid-April Metals Analysis: Aluminum, Copper and Nickel Prices Rise, Other Base Metals Fall

  3. This Morning in Metals: Copper, Aluminum Prices Drop on News of China’s Adjusted Winter Capacity Cuts

  4. Copper MMI: LME Copper Prices Fall

  5. Copper MMI: LME Copper Prices Continue Downtrend

  6. Copper MMI: Copper Prices Bounce Back Up

  7. Copper MMI: LME Copper Prices Continue Slide

  8. LME, SHFE Copper Prices Trend Down in March

  9. Copper MMI: LME Copper Prices Breach $6,000/MT

  10. Copper Price Falls as BHP Says Deal is Reached to Avoid Escondida Strike

Want to a see copper price forecast? Get two monthly reports for free!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top