CME copper premiums contract trades 275 lots since launch

A total of 275 lots have traded on the CME’s copper cif Shanghai futures contract since it was officially launched on November 20, all for first quarter 2018 shipments.

The contract is settled against the monthly average of the Metal Bulletin daily copper premiums assessment, basis cif Shanghai.

The contract was recently traded on Tuesday December 19, with 25 lots concluded at $68 per tonne for February and March 2018 contracts.

On December 6, 25 lots were placed on January, February and March contracts, all at $65 per tonne.

On December 7, another 50 lots for each month of the first quarter were traded at a premium level of $68 per tonne.

Today’s trades bring the total to 275 lots or 6,875 tonnes traded during the first month of CME’s copper cif Shanghai futures contract.

Trading interest is gradually increasing, with bids and offers placed as far forward as the November 2018 contract.

SSY Futures arranged the first brokered trade of the contract, which was the 50 lots or 3,750 tonnes trades for first-quarter 2018.

“The trade will mitigate the risk on the delivery premium to Shanghai for 3,750 metric tonnes of copper during January, February and March; it is a cash settled contract. The buyer and seller were leading commodity trade houses,” SSY Futures said in a statement. 

Metal Bulletin assessed cif Shanghai copper premiums at $68-80 per tonne on Tuesday December 19.

Note: Trading volume mentioned in the article is round turns.

What to read next
The proposal would align the index more closely with physically traded volumes in the region, and enable it to adjust to evolving market conditions. This proposal follows an observed widening of the spread between trader and smelter purchase components of the index and is aligned with a majority of market feedback. Additionally, Fastmarkets seeks feedback […]
Until now, aluminium has been hard to move, not hard to find. Global aluminium supply had remained technically intact, even as output was curtailed in parts of the Gulf, inventory buffers were drawn down or repositioned, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was severely disrupted.
Global aluminium producers face heightened uncertainty over power supplies, with oil and gas prices elevated by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) flows, sources told Fastmarkets.
Fastmarkets is extending the consultation period for the methodology of several of its black mass payables indicators and prices, and is also proposing changes to the names of CIF South Korea and EWX Europe black mass prices.
Rio Tinto Aluminium is expanding its footprint beyond its historic hydro-powered Canadian base, targeting Europe, Asia and Latin America as part of a deliberate diversification strategy, according to the unit’s chief executive officer.
Fastmarkets has corrected its copper concentrates treatment and refinement charge indices, which were published incorrectly on March 20 2026 due to a technical error.