GACC: China's Aug copper cathode imports down 18.62% YoY, breakdown of imports and exports

SMM Morning Meeting Summary: Last Friday night, LME copper opened at $14,502/mt, initially drifted lower to touch a low of $14,480.5/mt, then drifted higher near the end of the session to touch a high of $14,551/mt, and finally closed at $14,563/mt, up 0.62%. Trading volume reached 21,000 lots, and open interest reached 265,000 lots, an increase of 2,021 lots from the previous trading day, reflecting increased positions by bulls. Last Friday night, the most-traded SHFE copper 2610 contract opened at 109,840 yuan/mt, initially drifted higher to touch a high of 109,950 yuan/mt, then its center gradually moved lower to dip to 109,620 yuan/mt, and finally closed at 109,900 yuan/mt, up 0.34%. Trading volume reached 17,200 lots, and open interest reached 151,100 lots, a decrease of 766 lots from the previous trading day, reflecting reduced positions by bears.

Taiwan copper-clad laminate (CCL) maker Ventec International Group (6672.TW) approved on September 17 a NT$1.5 billion (approximately US$47.3 million) expansion budget to lease and upgrade an idle factory in Kunshan, Jiangsu, deploying two automated lines targeting monthly capacity of 500,000 CCL sheets and 2.4 million meters of prepreg. The 20,000 square meter site sits next to the company's existing operations and benefits from existing environmental permits, allowing mass production roughly one year earlier than a greenfield project. Planned spending is about RMB 41.76 million for building upgrades and RMB 246 million for machinery and equipment. The product mix covers M6 high-speed materials ramping up, with M7/M8/M9 grades under qualification with international server and optical-module customers. Ventec reported record August consolidated revenue of NT$810 million, up 133.2% year on year, with the first eight months up 53.6%. The Kunshan plant will complement the company's Thailand facility and serve AI servers, high-speed switches, optical modules and automotive electronics, lifting demand for upstream copper foil and electrolytic copper foil.