Futures Surge Suppresses End-User Purchases, Willingness to Sell Rebounds, and North China Premium Pulls Back [SMM North China Spot Copper]

Published: Jul 22, 2026 11:18
In North China today, the spot #1 copper cathode against the front-month contract was quoted at premiums of 120–200 yuan/mt, with an average premium of 160 yuan/mt, down 20 yuan/mt from the previous trading day; the average transaction price was 106,410 yuan/mt, up 750 yuan/mt from the previous trading day.

SMM July 22 News:

Today, the spot prices of #1 copper cathode in North China against the front-month contract were reported at an average premium of 120–200 yuan/mt, with the average premium at 160 yuan/mt, down 20 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. The average transaction price was 106,410 yuan/mt, up 750 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. Futures surged sharply, continuously suppressing downstream purchase willingness and resulting in significant trading resistance in the market. Suppliers' willingness to sell increased somewhat, but end-users showed weak buying interest, leading to a slight weakening of spot premiums in North China. Today, the purchase sentiment for copper cathode in North China was 1.68, down 0.06 from the previous trading day, and the shipment sentiment was 2.69, up 0.16 from the previous trading day ().

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