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London copper prices rise on weaker dollar following fresh Trump tariff threats
London copper prices rose on Wednesday as a result of a weaker dollar, after U.S. president Donald Trump ordered an investigation into possible new tariffs on imports to boost U.S. copper production. As of 0355 GMT, the price for three-month copper at the London Metal Exchange increased by 0.8% to $9472 per metric ton. On the day, the U.S. Dollar sagged to a new 11-week low compared with its major counterparts. The greenback price of commodities is cheaper for buyers who hold other currencies. Trump signed an executive order at the White House to direct Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in order to stop what his advisors see as China's move to dominate the copper market on the global scale, to launch a national-security investigation under Section 232 of 1962 Trade Expansion Act. Trump used the same law in his first term, to impose global tariffs of 25% on steel and aluminum. Soni Kumari is a commodity analyst at ANZ. She said that the market was a little distorted due to news flow. Other metals include LME aluminium, which rose by 0.1% to 2,641.5 dollars, LME Zinc, up 0.3% to $2 819 dollars, Nickel, up 0.2% at $15,370. Lead, meanwhile, gained 0.8%, to $2 008, and tin, down 0.2%, to $32,700. SHFE aluminium rose 0.3%, to 20,605 Yuan ($2,839.09), SHFE copper fell 0.3%, to 76.880 Yuan, SHFE zinc dropped 0.6%, to 23,550 Yuan, Nickel slipped 0.5%, to 124.160 Yuan, Lead gained 0.03%, to 17,135 Yoan, and Tin eased by 0.5%, to 262,060 Yan.
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Treasury yields rise slightly as dollar is weakened by US growth concerns
The U.S. Treasury yields recovered some ground after the House of Representatives on Wednesday. You can also read about how to get ahead. The dollar and oil prices are struggling due to growing concerns about the U.S. economic outlook. After Trump ordered an investigation into possible new tariffs against copper imports on Tuesday, U.S. prices of copper rose by more than 4% overnight. The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives late on Tuesday narrowly passed Trump's $4.5 trillion tax-cut plan, sending the budget resolution to the Senate, where Republicans are expected to take it up. Investors anticipate that more debt will be issued in the future, and the 10-year benchmark yield rose by roughly 3 basis points. The yield on the two-year bond rose by 2.7 basis points to 4.129%. Tony Sycamore is a market analyst for IG. He said, "(The plan's) progress was a bit faster than expected." You can see how yields are changing, and it caught people off guard. In the previous session, yields fell to their lowest level in several months as traders increased bets on more Federal Reserve rate reductions this year due to growing concerns about the outlook for the largest economy in the world. The latest survey data released on Tuesday shows that U.S. consumers' confidence dropped at the fastest pace in three-and-a half years in February. This is the latest of a series of surveys which indicate that both businesses and consumers are becoming more concerned about the policies of the Trump administration. "We are not surprised by the low consumer confidence figures. We are surprised that they're coming out now, even before the tariffs have an impact on consumers," said Joseph Capurso of Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Fed funds futures indicate that nearly 60 basis point of easing will be priced in before year's end, up from 40 bps just a week earlier. This weighed down the dollar, especially against the yen. In the previous session, the greenback fell to a four-month low versus the Japanese currency. The last time it traded, the yen was 0.25% higher than its previous price of 149.38. This is due to the recent rebound in U.S. Treasury rates. The euro, in other currencies, fell 0.11%, to $1.0502. However, it was still near its one-month high. The pound was also within striking distance of a two-month high and bought $1.2651 last. Capurso, of CBA, said that the dollar is weakening because of the soft economic data. But at some point you reach a threshold, where safe-haven flows are directed into the U.S. Dollar. "If things really get bad in America, say, the market begins pricing in a possible recession or even something that is close to one, the U.S. Dollar will always go up," said CBA's Capurso. The outlook for oil demand is also clouded by fears of a slowing U.S. economy. Brent futures rose by 0.08%, to $73.08 per barrel after falling more than 2% the previous session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), however, increased by 0.09%, to $68.99 a barrel, reversing a portion of Tuesday's 2.5% decline. Gold prices rose 0.2% on Wednesday, thanks to safe-haven flows. The ounce price increased to $2,920.83. ASIA SHARES UPBEAT On Wednesday, MSCI’s broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan gained 0.67%, boosted by a rise in Chinese stocks. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index soared by more than 2%. The Hang Seng Tech Index also rose 3.6%. The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.5% while the CSI300 blue chip index increased by 0.15%. Chinese stocks are on fire in the last few weeks. DeepSeek's AI breakthrough has reignited interest among investors in China's technological capabilities. The rally was slowed down earlier this week by news that the Trump Administration plans to tighten the semiconductor curbs on China. Also, after the U.S. president signed a memo directing the Committee on Foreign Investment to restrict Chinese investment in strategic areas. Vishnu Varathan is the head of Asia ex-Japan macro research at Mizuho. Not in China's particular case. The U.S. is determined to cause significant industrial pain, which will compromise technological advantage and manufacturing capacity or clout. Japan's Nikkei index fell by more than 1%. After a mixed session, U.S. stocks futures have rebounded. Nasdaq Futures rose 0.5% and S&P500 Futures gained 0.35%. The futures of the EUROSTOXX50 index also rose by 0.46%, while FTSE futures gained 0.43%. Nvidia, the AI sector's poster child, will report its earnings for the quarter on Wednesday. This could provide clarity and justify high valuations. Due to the slow returns and breakthroughs made by China's DeepSeek, investor scepticism about the billions of dollars that U.S. technology firms have invested in AI infrastructure has increased. Jacob Falkencrone, global head of Saxo’s investment strategy, said that any signs of weakness within Nvidia’s report would have a significant impact on investor sentiment toward AI stocks in general. This earnings report isn't about Nvidia...it's about if the AI revolution can continue its rapid pace.
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Trade tensions between the US and China cause a drop in iron ore prices
The price of iron ore futures fell for the third consecutive session on Wednesday. This was due to a deteriorating outlook for Chinese exports, and rising tensions in trade between the U.S. As of 0301 GMT, the most-traded contract for May iron ore on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange was trading 0.61% lower. It was 815 yuan (about $112.29) per metric ton. The benchmark March ore traded on the Singapore Exchange rose 0.3% to $106.35 per ton. Last week, U.S. president Donald Trump signed a memo aimed at tightening restrictions on Chinese investments in strategic areas. This caused Chinese stocks to plummet on Tuesday. In a report, Hexun Futures, a Chinese consultancy, stated that the additional levies by Vietnam and South Korea will affect China's direct exports of steel, which in turn, will put pressure on prices. Last week, Vietnam announced that it would impose a temporary antidumping levy against some steel products imported from China. Meanwhile, South Korea has imposed tariffs provisionally on Chinese steel plates imports. On Wednesday, the U.S. dollar was still near its 11-week low compared to other major currencies. Dollar-denominated goods are cheaper for holders of currencies other than the dollar. Hexun added that the steel mills are now in full production and demand for raw materials is increasing. According to Chinese consultancy Lange Steel citing statistics by the China Iron and Steel Industry Association, in China, daily crude production at key steel companies increased 0.8% on a month-to-month basis to 2,151 million tonnes, while average daily steel production rose 4.2% to 2.037 millions tons. Coking coal and coke, which are both steelmaking ingredients, showed marginal losses. They were down by 0.46% each. The benchmarks for steel on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were flat. Hot-rolled coil and rebar both gained 1%. Stainless steel and wire rod dropped 0.53%. $1 = 7.2579 Chinese Yuan (Reporting and editing by Janane Vekatraman).
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London copper prices rise on weaker dollar following fresh Trump tariff threats
London copper prices rose on Wednesday as a result of a weaker dollar, after U.S. president Donald Trump ordered an investigation into possible new tariffs on imports to boost U.S. copper production. As of 0244 GMT, the price for three-month copper at the London Metal Exchange increased by 0.6% to $9462 per metric ton. On the day, the U.S. Dollar sagged to a new 11-week low compared with its major counterparts. The greenback price of commodities is cheaper for buyers who hold other currencies. Trump signed an executive order at the White House to direct Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in an effort to stop what his advisers viewed as China's move to dominate the copper market globally, to launch a national-security investigation under Section 232 of 1962 Trade Expansion Act. Trump used the same law in his first term, to impose global tariffs of 25% on steel and aluminum. Soni Kumari is a commodity analyst at ANZ. She said that the market was a little distorted due to news flow. Other metals include LME aluminium, which was down by 0.06% at $2,637; LME zinc, up 0.2% to $2,816.5; nickel, up 0.3% at $15,375; lead, up 0.4% to $2,000 and tin, down 0.6% at $32,565. The price of SHFE aluminium rose 0.2%, to 20,580 Chinese yuan ($2,837.29) per ton. SHFE copper fell 0.03%, to 77.050 yuan. SHFE zinc dropped 0.7%, to 23,530 yuan. Nickel slipped 0.3%, to 124.350 yuan. Lead increased 0.2%, to 17,165 yuan. Tin declined 0.4%, to 262,330. ($1 = 7.2534 Chinese Yuan) (Reporting and editing by Sumana Niandy)
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Where does the US obtain its copper?
The U.S. president Donald Trump ordered on Tuesday a probe on possible tariffs on imports of copper to rebuild U.S. manufacturing of a critical metal for electric vehicles, military equipment, semiconductors, and a variety of consumer goods. An official at the White House said that the investigation would examine imports of copper concentrates, scrap, copper, and copper alloys. The result should be available soon. What you should know about U.S. Copper Imports US IMPORTS Just over half of the refined copper that is consumed in the United States each year is produced domestically. Over two-thirds are mined in Arizona where the construction of a new massive mine has been held up for over a decade. The remainder of refined copper is imported, which amounts to just under 1 million metric tonnes per year. The White House has framed these new tariffs to counter China's dominance on the global market. However, in reality the United States imports the majority of its refined copper products from the Americas. According to the United States Geological Survey, more than 90% (90%) of copper refined imports were made by Chile, Canada, and Peru last year. GLOBAL PRODUCTION China is the world's largest copper refiner, but it gets most of its ore from Latin America. According to the USGS, Chile and Peru mined a combined third of global cobalt last year. China, however, is increasing its influence over the world copper mining industry through its major investment in mines located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Due to massive Chinese investments in the African nation's mining industry, the DRC has now overtaken Peru as the second largest copper producer in the world. The Chinese copper sector dwarfs the rest. Last year, the country operated dozens of copper-smelters. According to the USGS, there are only two primary copper-smelters in the United States.
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As US growth concerns weigh on shares, yields fall with the dollar. Asia shares are up.
The dollar was hurt by a decline in U.S. Treasury rates on Wednesday. Oil prices were also affected as concerns about the future of the world's biggest economy increased. Meanwhile, Asian shares rose in anticipation of Nvidia's earnings, which will be announced later that day. After President Donald Trump ordered an investigation into possible new tariffs against copper imports on Tuesday, U.S. prices of copper rose by more than 4% overnight while other countries saw their prices fall. The latest survey data released on Tuesday shows that U.S. consumers' confidence dropped at the fastest pace in three-and-a half years in February. This is the latest of a series of surveys showing how businesses and consumers are becoming more alarmed by Trump's policies. The traders responded by increasing their bets on more Federal Reserve rate reductions this year. Futures now point to almost 60 basis points of easing being priced in by the end of the year, up from around 40 bps just a week earlier. "We are not surprised by the low consumer confidence figures. We are surprised that they're coming out now, even before the tariffs have an impact on consumers," said Joseph Capurso of Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The Fed's increased easing bets pushed the U.S. Treasury Yields down on Wednesday. The benchmark 10-year yield is now at a two-month low, 4.2830%. The yield on the two-year bond fell by 1 basis point to 4.0860%. This in turn affected the dollar, especially against the yen. The dollar last traded at 148.81yen, down 0.13% from its previous low. The euro was hovering near its one-month-high at $1.0522. Sterling, meanwhile, was within striking distance of a two month high and bought $1.2675 last. Capurso, of CBA, said that the dollar is weakening because of the soft economic data. But at some point you reach a threshold, where safe-haven flows are directed into the U.S. Dollar. "If things really get bad in America, say, the market begins pricing in a possible recession or even something that is close to one, the U.S. Dollar will always go up," said CBA's Capurso. The outlook for oil demand is also clouded by fears of a slowdown in U.S. economic growth. Brent futures rose by 0.34%, to $73.27 per barrel after falling more than 2% the previous session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil also increased by 0.36%, to $69.18 a barrel, reversing a portion of Tuesday's 2.5% decline. Gold also rose on Wednesday, gaining 0.1%, to $2,918.50 per ounce, due to safe-haven flows. ASIA SHARES UPBEAT On Wednesday, MSCI’s broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan gained 0.63%, boosted by a rise in Chinese stocks. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index soared by more than 2%. The Hang Seng Tech Index also rose 2.7%. The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.7%, while the CSI300 blue chip index rose 0.54%. Chinese stocks are on fire in the last few weeks. DeepSeek's AI breakthrough has reignited interest among investors in China's technological capabilities. The rally was slowed down earlier this week by news that the Trump Administration plans to tighten the semiconductor curbs on China. Also, after the U.S. president signed a memo directing the Committee on Foreign Investment to restrict Chinese investment in strategic areas. Vishnu Varathan is the head of Asia ex-Japan macro research at Mizuho. Not in China's particular case. The U.S. is determined to cause significant industrial pain, which will compromise technological advantage and manufacturing capacity or clout. Japan's Nikkei slid 1.15%. After a mixed session, U.S. stocks futures recovered. Nasdaq Futures rose 0.34% and S&P500 Futures gained 0.2%. The futures of the EUROSTOXX50 index also rose by 0.37%, while FTSE futures gained 0.46%. Nvidia, the AI sector's poster child, will report its earnings for the quarter on Wednesday. This could provide clarity and justify high valuations. Due to the slow returns and breakthroughs made by China's DeepSeek, investor skepticism has increased over the billions of dollars that U.S. technology firms have invested in AI infrastructure. Jacob Falkencrone, global head of Saxo’s investment strategy, said that any signs of weakness within Nvidia’s report would have a significant impact on investor sentiment toward AI stocks in general. This earnings report isn't about Nvidia. It's about if the AI revolution will continue at its current pace.
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The US stockpiles data helps to offset concerns about rising supply
After an industry group announced that U.S. crude stocks fell last week, oil prices rose in the early Asian trading session on Wednesday. Brent crude oil futures were up 27 cents or 0.4% to $73.29 per barrel at 0134 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil Futures rose 25 cents or 0.4% to $69.18 a barrel. Market sources cited American Petroleum Institute data on Tuesday to report that U.S. crude stockpiles fell by 640,000 barrels during the week ending February 21. The official U.S. stocks data will be released later on Wednesday. The analysts polled estimated that U.S. crude stockpiles increased by 2.6 million barrels last week. This report helped to offset some concerns about the rising supply of oil around the world. This, along with gloomy economic reports from the U.S., Germany and other countries, pushed oil prices down by more than 2% on Tuesday. Brent crude oil closed Tuesday at its lowest level since December 23, while WTI reached its lowest settlement since November 10. Consumer confidence in the U.S. fell at its fastest pace in three-and-a half years in February, while 12-month inflation expectations surged. The German economy contracted in the final three months of 2024, compared with the previous quarter. The oil prices are also being affected by fears that President Donald Trump’s tariffs on China and other trading partners could put more pressure on the economy. ANZ Bank analysts said in a client note that this has helped ease concerns about a tighter oil supply near term despite new U.S. Sanctions against Iran. Commodity Context analyst Rory Johnston stated that OPEC+ countries are hoping to counter any reduction in Iranian crude supply by bringing more to the market. Sources familiar with the issue said that the U.S. also reached an agreement on the terms of a draft mineral deal, which is central to Trump's plans to end the conflict in Ukraine quickly. The end of the Ukraine war could lead to an increase in Russian oil supplies. (Reporting and editing by Muralikumar Aantharaman in New York, Shariq Khan is reporting from New York)
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G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bankers will meet amid fractured geopolitics
The G20 finance ministers and central banks from the top ten economies gathered in South Africa, on Wednesday and Thursday. This meeting was marred by the absence of or reduced attendance of key members, and disagreements over the major issues of climate change, debt, and inequality. It has never been easy to agree on a statement when rivals like China, Russia and the European Union are present. But now the differences are more pronounced than ever and some finance minsters were preoccupied with their domestic politics and did not attend. Katsunobu Kato, Japan's Finance minister, will not be attending as he is concentrating on a debate in parliament. Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury secretary, and EU Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis will also be absent. There was little chance of agreement over issues that host President Cyril Ramaphosa deemed to be core: insufficient climate finance from wealthy nations, reforming a financial system which penalizes poor countries and increasing inequality. Alex van den Heever is a political scientist from the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He said that the global priorities of the U.S. and the developed world are in danger. It's very hard to imagine how the United States will be able to move forward. CLIMATE WORMS South Africa hoped that the G20 would be a platform to pressurize rich countries to do much more in order to combat climate change and give more money to poorer countries for their transition to green energy, as well as adaptation to changing weather patterns. Ramaphosa stated last week that "those most responsible for climate changes have a responsibility... to support the least responsible". Energy Minister Kgosientsho RAMOKGOPA said on the sidelines a G20 briefing Tuesday that the American presidency "reconfigures the conversation" by reintroducing issues we thought had been resolved. "Where it goes is anyone's guess," said he, adding that certain countries may reconsider the pace and scale of their transition away from fossil fuels towards green energy. Others questioned the relevance of the G20 discussions after the G20's largest economy stepped out. Some analysts saw an opportunity to move forward without the U.S. Daniel Silke of the Political Futures Consultancy said that there could be synergies in large parts of what is left if the U.S. was excluded on certain issues. It's a chance for South Africa to play a leadership role. (Reporting and editing by Bernadette B. Baum; Bernadette B. Baum, Bernadette Cocks)
Sources say that Zelenskiy will travel to the US to meet Trump to discuss a mineral deal.
Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed on Tuesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will travel to Washington, D.C. on Friday to meet U.S. president Donald Trump. This follows an agreement between officials on terms of a draft mineral deal.
The White House declined to comment.
The mineral deal is central to Kyiv’s efforts to win U.S. backing as Trump seeks a rapid end to the war with Russia. Trump and Zelenskiy had a heated exchange of words last week.
Trump called Zelenskiy a unpopular "dictator", who had to make a quick deal with the Ukrainian government or risk losing his country. The Ukrainian leader responded that the U.S. President was in a "disinformation" bubble.
According to a source who asked for anonymity in order to discuss sensitive issues, the White House was the one that proposed the visit.
Source: Both sides have approved the draft and instructed that it be signed.
Trump is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for Washington's support.
A source with knowledge of the situation said that Zelenskiy could meet Capitol Hill lawmakers, but the exact schedule was not yet finalized. Reporting by Tom Balmforth, Erin Banco and David Gregorio; editing by David Gregorio
(source: Reuters)