Copper Price Drop Boosts Downstream Demand, Cathode Rod Orders Surge

[SMM Analysis] Copper prices have surged recently. On the surface, the current hot topics in the copper market are focused on the following areas: the widening LME-COMEX price spread, copper concentrate TCs hitting new lows again, the energy crisis in Peru, the repeated fluctuations in the pace of Grasberg's production resumptions, and the substitution effect between copper cathode and copper scrap in China. However, from a deeper perspective, all these events can be understood under a single theme: the growing global emphasis on copper resource security, with the market repricing the entire industry chain.