Copper Cathode Rod Weekly Operating Rate Rebounds, Modest Growth Forecasted for Next Week

Published: Jan 16, 2026 11:26

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[Copper Cathode Rod Weekly Operating Rate Rebounded] The operating rate of major domestic copper cathode rod enterprises was 57.47% this week, up 9.65 percentage points MoM. The core driver for the rebound in the operating rate this week was the end of the New Year's Day holiday, with copper cathode rod enterprises largely resuming production. Additionally, copper prices experienced a phased decline during the week, prompting downstream users, driven by fear of rising prices, to release a small number of essential orders. However, although consumption showed marginal recovery, current copper prices continue to fluctuate at highs, and downstream purchasing attitudes remain relatively cautious, without large-scale restocking. Therefore, SMM expects the operating rate to increase slightly by 1.72 percentage points MoM to 59.19% next week, with the overall operating level still remaining low.

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