{
  "id": 14969968,
  "title": "Copper leads base metals higher ahead of LME Week",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/copper-leads-base-metals-higher-ahead-of-lme-week",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-16T13:31:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40444557/copper-leads-base-metals-higher-ahead-of-lme-week"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "London: Copper prices steered other base metals higher on Friday, buoyed by a weaker dollar and stabilised equity markets following a sharp sell-off in technology stocks the previous day. The benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange climbed 0.9% to $14,480 a metric ton, rebounding from a near two-week low of $14,256 earlier in the week. The annual LME Week event in London is set for the third Wednesday of the month, with monthly LME contracts expiring. Copper and zinc, along with aluminium and tin, are expected to enter backwardation, meaning cash contracts will trade at a premium to three-month contracts, indicating potential supply constraints.\n\nIan Roper, a metals researcher at brokerage Marex, attributes the refined copper's tightness this year to continued flooding into the US ahead of anticipated tariffs in January. Roper anticipates copper to face pressure as the window for shipments to clear US customs nears its end in early December, freeing up some metal for markets outside the US. Copper has surged 17% so far this year, peaking at $14,875 five weeks ago. LME aluminium rose 0.8% to $3,011.5 a ton, while LME zinc increased 0.9% to $3,698.5. Roper predicts rising Chinese exports will put downward pressure on zinc prices in the coming months, whereas higher production costs in Indonesia's top producer provide support to nickel, which added 0.9% to $15,350. Lead and tin also climbed 0.5% to $1,890 and $50,350, respectively.",
  "summary": "LONDON: Copper prices led other base metals higher on Friday as a weaker dollar offered support, while equity markets stabilised after Thursday’s sharp selloff in technology stocks, improving risk appetite for growth-dependent metals. Benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange rose 0.9% to $14,480 a metric ton in official open-outcry trading, recovering from a near two-week low of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}