Copper Prices Rise but Demand Remains Weak, Spot Premiums Continue to Weaken [SMM North China Spot Copper]

Published: May 25, 2026 11:31
Today, #1 copper cathode spot prices in North China against the front-month contract were reported at an average discount of 360 yuan/mt to a discount of 280 yuan/mt, with the average price down 10 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. The average transaction price was 105,230 yuan/mt, up 1,035 yuan/mt from the previous trading day.

SMM May 25 News:

Today, spot prices of #1 copper cathode in North China against the front-month contract averaged a discount of 360 yuan/mt to a discount of 280 yuan/mt, with the average price down 10 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. The average transaction price was 105,230 yuan/mt, up 1,035 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. Copper prices strengthened today, but downstream demand remained repeatedly suppressed and could hardly be called optimistic, with spot premiums remaining under pressure and weakening. Today, the procurement sentiment for copper cathode in North China was 1.55, down 0.27 from the previous trading day, and the shipments sentiment was 2.51, down 0.36 from the previous trading day ().

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

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