Supply disruption and financial speculation helped most base metals prices hit 2024 highs in the week to Friday May 24, yet demand remains mostly muted

The three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange has slumped significantly since hitting an all-time high of $11,104.50 per tonne on Monday May 20

Copper fabricators in China and the wider Southeast Asian region continue to feel the pain of high copper prices on futures exchanges and a lack of new orderbooks, with some having already asked for a postponing of shipments of long-term copper cathodes, sources told Fastmarkets in the week to Wednesday, May 15.

Could the copper market bullish marathon be taking a mini break? Fastmarkets senior analyst Andy Farida looks at London Metal Exchange copper price movements.

Global copper futures prices are in a frenzy, with record highs being logged on the New York-based Commodity Exchange (Comex), London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) in recent days

Copper prices have pushed up on global metal exchanges in recent weeks and the London Metal Exchange three-month copper price hit an all-time high on Monday May 20, but what are the key reasons behind the record-breaking surge in prices?

Fundamental supply tightness was part of the reason behind this week's LME three-month copper contract all-time high, but the rate of change was also down to an influx of financial investors and the interconnected squeeze on short positions on COMEX, sources told Fastmarkets

A surge in recycling capacity in the US aluminium industry is coming in the next few years while for now it continues to meet most of its primary aluminium needs from Canada.

US President Joe Biden will increase tariffs on Chinese imports including steel and aluminium, electric vehicles, semiconductors and advanced batteries, to counteract China’s “unfair” trading practices, he announced on Tuesday May 14

Anglo American's rejection of takeover bids by BHP has put copper firmly under the spotlight, but what challenges lie ahead for the red metal as the corporate tussle continues?