
Copper Hits All-Time-High As Physical Economy Reprices Scarcity
Copper futures on the LME reached an all-time high of $14,533/ton on Tuesday, up nearly 1%, driven primarily by tariff front-running that pulled record volumes into US warehouses and tightened global availability outside the US. The move reflects structural supply constraints—mine output running negative year-over-year, scrap production down 50% YoY, and Chinese inventory draws—though global cathode inventory is elevated; Goldman strategists note the tightness is regional, not absolute. The narrative hinges on whether this is a transient tariff-driven repositioning (Goldman suggests modest upside grind via LME spreads) or a genuine supply repricing cycle driven by infrastructure buildout demand and underinvestment in mining.







