Copper product manufacturers are already suffering from the growing trend for protectionism, panelists at the Metal Bulletin Copper Conference said, and prices could suffer if global trade founders in the coming years.

Base metals traded on the London Metal Exchange are split into two camps this morning, Thursday March 8, with copper ($6,924 per tonne), nickel, zinc and tin prices all down by an average of 0.6%, while aluminium and lead prices are up by an average of 0.3%.

Good morning from Metal Bulletin’s office in Singapore as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Thursday March 8.

Some mill-grade aluminium scrap prices have shown only a half-hearted increase in the United States, with the wide availability of scrap and general market uncertainty so far stymying reactions to steep gains in the Midwest aluminium premium.

The restriction on imports of some copper scrap products to China has already caused the industry to make some process changes but many questions are still unanswered, a panel of scrap experts said at the Metal Bulletin Copper conference.

Base metals traded on the London Metal Exchange are down across the board by an average of 0.3% this morning, Wednesday March 7. Nickel leads the decline with a 0.9% drop to $13,520 per tonne, while the rest are off between less than 0.1% and 0.3%, with three-month copper prices at $6,977 per tonne.