Copper holds above $14,400 as Chile strike risk grows
A rejected wage offer at Antofagasta’s Centinela has added to supply concerns as the metal heads for a third straight monthly gain.
Copper prices surpassed $14,400 per tonne in London on Tuesday, driven by potential supply disruptions stemming from a strike at Antofagasta's Centinela mine in Chile. Three-month futures for the metal climbed 0.2% to $14,446 per tonne on the London Metal Exchange. Copper is set to achieve a third straight monthly increase, with a 9% rise in September after reaching a record $14,875 earlier in the month.
At Centinela, workers representing two unions rejected the company's final contract offer on Monday, initiating a mandatory mediation period before a potential walkout could commence. Additionally, wage discussions at BHP's Escondida mine, the world's largest copper producer, were postponed following a fatal accident.
Amassed inventories of refined copper in US warehouses, anticipated to be due to impending import tariffs, have diminished the metal's availability for buyers in other regions. The Yangshan import premium, which measures demand for overseas copper in China, is also near its highest level since 2022. Deutsche Bank anticipates copper prices could soar to around $22,000 per tonne by the second quarter of 2027 if competition for available supplies escalates.
According to data from the International Copper Study Group (ICSG), copper production stood at an annualized 23 million tonnes in July, a 4% decline from June. The group also reported that refined demand grew by 3% year-over-year to 29 million tonnes annually, while refined supply declined by 1% to 28.4 million tonnes.
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