Copper sinks to 3-week low as dollar firms, LME stocks rise

Copper prices plummeted to a three-week low as the US dollar strengthened and London Metal Exchange inventories rose, dampening industrial metals prices following last week's sell-off due to US tariff uncertainty. Benchmark three-month LME copper dropped 1.2% to $14,065 per metric ton, reaching a session low of $14,018.50, the lowest since August 20 and a 5.9% decline from its record high last Thursday.

Metals expert Neil Welsh noted that copper has led the decline and is now challenging recent lows, reflecting cautious sentiment after a first weekly loss since June due to concerns over tighter U.S. monetary policy. The stronger dollar makes US-denominated metals more expensive for investors in other currencies, while interest rate hikes typically negatively impact economic growth.

Copper sold off significantly after Reuters reported that the White House had not decided on imposing tariffs on refined copper imports, leading to arbitrage efforts to ship metal to the US COMEX exchange to shrink. This drop ended a streak of 58 consecutive daily increases in COMEX copper stocks since mid-June, with stocks falling slightly to 767,504 short tons or 696,268 metric tons on Thursday.

LME copper inventories increased by 9,600 tons, with 4,550 tons in Italian warehouses. The cash LME copper contract traded at a $36 per ton discount to the three-month forward, widening from a roughly $10 discount on Friday, indicating easing near-term tightness. Metals sentiment remained weak, with zinc falling 1.9% to $3,807 and touching a three-week low, lead losing 1% to $1,873, hitting its weakest level since August 3, nickel shedding 0.5% to $16,380, marking a two-month low, and tin declining 2% to $52,300, its lowest since July 17. Aluminium was the only gainer, increasing 0.1% to $3,256.