Copper Nears Three-Month Low Amid U.S.-China Tension
June 25 2018 - 3:11PM
Dow Jones News
By Benjamin Parkin and David Hodari
Copper prices fell to the lowest close in almost three months as
tension between the U.S. and China continued to unsettle
investors.
Front-month contracts for June fell 1.3% to $2.992 a pound at
the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange on Monday,
the lowest since March 27. Prices have fallen around 10% from a
peak earlier this month.
There is "concern globally about what trade wars mean for
metals," said Nitesh Shah, director of research at WisdomTree.
"Over the last couple of weeks or so, people have been thinking of
the impact as a very negative thing for industrial metals."
Relations between the U.S. and China have deteriorated, with
both countries moving to place tariffs on tens of billions of
dollars of each others' goods. President Donald Trump is now also
expected to introduce restrictions on Chinese investment in U.S.
technology firms later this week.
Traders were betting that made the likelihood of a negotiated
solution that avoided tariffs more distant, potentially hurting
global growth and damping demand for industrial metals like copper.
China consumes around half of the world's copper.
Mr. Shah said he thought the bilateral nature of the dispute
could limit the fallout longer-term. The disruption to global
supply chains stemming from a trade war could eventually boost
metals prices, he said.
In the near term, however, a stronger U.S. dollar also had
traders souring on copper. The greenback has rallied in recent
months, making dollar-denominated commodities like copper more
expensive for global buyers. The WSJ Dollar Index, which measures
the dollar against a basket of currencies, slipped 0.1% on
Monday.
Copper traders were watching labor negotiations at two copper
mines controlled by Chilean state-owned firm Codelco that could
potentially crimp supply, though the boost to prices was
limited.
Workers at the Chuquicamata mine -- home to one of the world's
largest copper deposits -- were on the verge of striking following
the dismissal of 1,700 workers last week, according to Spanish news
agency EFE. Chuquicamata produced 330,000 tons of copper last
year.
Elsewhere, Codelco said late Friday that workers at its small
Salvador operation had rejected a wage offer from the company,
Reuters reported.
At the beginning of the year, investors forecast a turbulent
year for labor negotiations, with around 35 contracts due to be
negotiated. So far, few disputes have materialized.
With negotiations also currently under way between BHP Billiton
and workers at its Chilean Escondida mine -- the world's largest
copper mine, where strikes last year stymied production for 44 days
-- investors were asking "whether it's the calm before the storm or
whether those fears will just fizzle," said Hunter Hillcoat, an
analyst at Investec.
Gold prices fell to a new six-month low on Monday. Tension
between the U.S. and China hasn't prompted higher gold prices
despite the precious metal's tendency to rise as a haven asset
during times of geopolitical uncertainty. Instead, analysts said,
the stronger dollar and rising U.S. interest rates have weighed
down the market.
June-dated contracts fell 0.1% to $1,265.60 a troy ounce, the
lowest close since Dec. 19.
Write to Benjamin Parkin at Benjamin.Parkin@wsj.com and David
Hodari at David.Hodari@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 25, 2018 14:56 ET (18:56 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.