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Copper resumes sag on supply overhang and weak need

Copper costs slipped on Friday on issue over surplus products and sluggish need in leading metals consumer China, where the currency is likewise weakening.

Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange fell 1.5% to $9,709 a metric lot by 1600 GMT after 3 days of gains.

The metal used in power and building has shed 13% considering that touching a record peak above $11,100 last month.

U.S. Comex copper futures dropped 2.3% to $4.46 a lb.

The market has actually been attempting to determine whether the correction phase is concerning an end, however I believe it's still too early to call a turn-around, said Ole Hansen, head of commodity method at Saxo Bank in Copenhagen.

We require data, especially Chinese data, to be more encouraging.

China's yuan dipped to a seven-month low versus the dollar on Friday, harmed by portfolio outflows from mainland monetary markets and speculation that the central bank is allowing the currency to compromise slowly.

A weaker yuan typically weighs on industrial metals because it makes products priced in the dollar more expensive for purchasers in China.

But Hansen stated the effect could be balanced out because it might have also spurred some stockpiling.

Brokers in Asia stated the drop in copper rates encouraged more physical purchases today and supplied assistance around $ 9,500 to $9,600 a load.

An overhang of metals has weighed on the copper market, with SHFE copper stocks up tenfold since the start of the year to 322,910 loads, reflecting the plentiful supply in China. << CU-STX-SGH >

Information revealed the international refined copper market had a surplus of 13,000 loads in April and excess supply of 299,000 lots in the initially 4 months of the year.

In other metals, LME aluminium dipped 0.2% to $2,516. a ton, nickel fell 1% to $17,255, zinc shed 0.5%. to $2,860.50, lead dropped 1% to $2,194 and tin. reduced 0.9% to $32,785.

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(source: Reuters)