U.S. tariff threat tightens copper availability as LME three-month tests $14,343 a ton
A potential U.S. import tariff is reshaping the copper market by pulling metal into the United States and tightening availability elsewhere. LME three-month copper rose as high as $14,343 per metric ton on Tuesday after 65,400 tons were ordered for withdrawal from LME warehouses in recent days. Traders have been arbitraging a higher COMEX premium by moving copper into the U.S., pushing COMEX inventories to a record 675,185 tons after 46 straight days of increases. Glencore’s CEO said copper shipped into the U.S. is unlikely to be exported again because of the costs, leaving what had been expected to be a surplus market looking far tighter in practice.