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Copper prices drop as hopes fade of an US-Iran Peace Deal

The?price of copper fell on Friday as renewed inflation fears weighed down on the risk sentiment for 'growth-dependent metals', and hopes for a U.S./Iran peace agreement dimmed.

Benchmark 'three-month' copper on the London Metal Exchange fell 1.1% to $13,771.50 per metric tonne at 0953 GMT. It found support above its current 21-day moving-average of $13,728.

Copper used in construction and power is up by 11% this year. It reached a record high in January of $14,527.5. Citi expects $15,000 in six to twelve months, according to analysts at several investment banks.

Ole Hansen is the head of commodity strategy for Saxo Bank. He said that high prices would test demand, especially in China, where buyers are historically sensitive to elevated prices.

Yangshan Copper Premium This week, the, which measures?the Chinese appetite for copper imports, dropped 9% to a five-week low of $64 per ton.

The market is expecting a possible recommendation by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding import tariffs. This will be made at the end of June.

This premium is attracting inflows into COMEX Copper stocks in the U.S., which are already at a high of 583.055 tons. It also tightens availability of visible inventories elsewhere.

Stocks available in warehouses registered with the LME According to the daily LME data,?the total is?240,050 tonnes, the lowest level since February 24. And cancelled stocks are 37% of the total.

The discount between the LME Cash Copper Contract and the benchmark is a reflection of the?lessening availability of near-term supplies. The price of a ton ended Thursday at $11.5, down from $58 one month earlier.

The Shanghai Futures Exchange monitors copper inventories in warehouses Stocks of tin fell by 4% to 169.512 tons this week, the lowest level since December. The number of tons rose by 49%, to 12,358.

Other LME metals include:?aluminum fell by 0.4% to $3.651.50; zinc dropped 0.2% to 3.578.50; lead was down 0.1% at $2.014, while tin declined 2.5% to $54,255. Nickel remained unchanged at $18,690. (Reporting Polina Devitt. Solomon Cefai contributed additional reporting. Mark Potter (Editing)

(source: Reuters)