Average Operating Rate at Low-Oxygen Copper Rod Producers 38.9% in December

SHANGHAI, Dec. 25 (SMM) – SMM's latest survey found that the average operating rate at low-oxygen copper rod producers rallied to 38.9% during December. As tight cash flow pressures grow as the year’s end neared, and since infrastructure construction has slowed in the housing sector in north China due to cold weather, low-oxygen copper rod orders are unlikely to increase. However, LME copper prices moved higher during December and helped the price gap between scrap and refined copper increase to RMB 800-1,000/mt, which pushed the price difference between low-oxygen and oxygen-free copper rod higher. Low-oxygen copper rod orders were boosted as a result.