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Copper gets on Chinese data, hopes of Fed rate cuts

Copper prices rose on Monday after data from leading consumer China showed stronger factory activity and U.S. inflation information reinforced hopes of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve later on this year.

Traders said a flurry of purchasing after the New york city open pushed copper rates higher towards resistance at $10,250 a. metric ton and the 21-day moving average.

Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME). was up 1.2% at $10,164 a heap at 1601 GMT.

Chinese production activity grew at its fastest pace in. nearly 2 years last month, helped by gains for smaller. business, an economic sector survey of purchasing supervisors. revealed. But that contrasted with a surprise fall in the more comprehensive. main survey of acquiring supervisors.

The market has actually decided to run with the bright side (personal. study) in the meantime, one copper trader said. Eyes are on what the. Fed will do after the inflation data, and dollar reaction.

Fed rate cuts would improve production activity and need. for commercial metals in the U.S. They would likewise weigh on the. U.S. currency, weak point of that makes dollar-priced metals. cheaper for purchasers with other currencies.

This relationship, used by funds that trade on buy and sell. signals from numerical models, was one factor behind copper's. rise to a record peak above $11,100 a ton in May.

Other reasons consist of macro funds, those that trade on. principles, also stacking into the market on expectations of. tight supplies and deficits.

We would attribute the (copper) rate action - both up and. then, more recently, down - to macro funds and product. traders, both physical and in the financial market, Jeffries. experts stated in a note.

When the smoke clears and basic tailwinds begin,. more than likely in 2025, the rate needs to resume an upward pattern,. but we would anticipate more volatility in the extremely near term.

A likely source of volatility is Chinese information that consists of. trade numbers today and might yield hints to demand. prospects for industrial metals

In other metals, aluminium was up 0.6% at $2,668 a. heap, zinc slipped 0.8% to $2,945 and lead. advanced 0.7% to $2,289, while tin retreated 1.9% to. $ 32,420 and nickel lost 1.1% to $19,485.

(source: Reuters)