Panama Consultations Lift Cobre Panamá Restart Expectations

Hindustan Copper said it is targeting around 32,000 tonnes of metal-in-concentrate output this fiscal year, up from 27,000 tonnes last year, while maintaining its ore production target at around 4.7 million tonnes. The company expects favourable copper prices to support profitability and continues to target an EBITDA margin of 54%-55%. Ore grades are around 0.81% at KCC, 0.85% at Malanjkhand and 0.65% at Ghatsila, with faster project execution and mine development remaining key priorities.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, with delivery approaching, the intermonth backwardation spread is expected to widen further. The cost of contract rollover for some suppliers will rise significantly, strengthening their willingness to sell spot copper and pushing quotes for standard-quality copper to quickly drop into discount territory. Meanwhile, amid relatively strong front-month contract prices, some deliverable material is inclined to be converted into warrants, resulting in divergent spot cargo flows. As of August 11, SHFE copper registered warrants stood at about 23,200 mt. As of the morning session close on August 12, open interest in the SHFE copper 2608 contract remained at about 23,000 lots. The pace of the pullback in open interest and changes in warrants ahead of delivery still warrants close attention. On the demand side, end-use consumption remained weak, with downstream procurement still largely need-based. Low-priced non-registered copper attracted active trading on the back of its price advantage, but this has yet to lead to a significant improvement in overall procurement. Overall, amid the widening backwardation spread, increased supplier willingness to sell, and weak end-use demand, quotes for Shanghai spot copper against the 2608 contract are expected to remain under pressure tomorrow, with spot copper likely staying at a discount.

[SMM Shanghai spot copper] Looking ahead to tomorrow, as delivery approaches and the inter-month backwardation spread widens further, the cost of rolling over positions for some suppliers has risen noticeably, boosting their willingness to sell spot cargoes, which has pushed mainstream standard-quality copper quotes quickly down to a discount range. Meanwhile, against the relatively strong front-month contract price, some deliverable material is being shifted to warrants, leading to a divergence in spot cargo flows. As of August 11, SHFE copper registered warrants stood at approximately 23,200 mt; as of the morning close on August 12, open interest in the SHFE copper 2608 contract remained around 23,000 lots. The pace of open interest pullback and warrant changes ahead of delivery still warrants close attention. On the demand side, end-use consumption remains sluggish, with downstream purchases still largely need-based, and low-priced non-registered copper trading relatively actively on price advantage but not yet driving a noticeable improvement in overall procurement. Taken together, with the widening backwardation spread, increased willingness to sell among suppliers, and weak end-use demand, spot copper prices against the SHFE 2608 contract are expected to remain under pressure tomorrow, and the spot is likely to stay at a discount.