Copper Wire and Cable Operating Rate Falls to 68.48%, Expected to Decline Further Next Week

Breaking News | SGS Audit Shows Cobre Panama Mine Compliance Rate Near 88%, Obstacles to Production Resumption Further Cleared On June 19, Panama's Ministry of Environment released the final audit report by Switzerland's SGS on First Quantum's Cobre Panama copper mine. The audit covered 370 commitments from 2019 to 2023, with an overall compliance rate of approximately 88%. Technical and operational standards scored the highest (90.20%), followed by environmental compliance. SGS pointed out that issues were concentrated in areas such as biodiversity management, and do not constitute structural deficiencies. According to SMM, maintenance of key equipment at the mine is proceeding normally. If the production resumption permit is granted, production is expected to resume at a relatively fast pace. The mine has been suspended since November 2023, with an annual capacity of approximately 350,000 mt of copper. The Panamanian government has established a cross-departmental working group to evaluate subsequent decisions.

This week, the copper scrap market operated under the interweaving influences of fluctuating copper prices, the approaching Dragon Boat Festival holiday, and ongoing compliance inspections on "reverse invoicing," presenting structural characteristics of "regional divergence in supply, essential demand-driven procurement, and transactions driven by invoices rather than prices

[SMM Analysis: LME Copper Prices Fluctuate at Highs; Procurement Slows Across China, Japan, and South Korea Amid Flat Market Turnover]This week, LME copper prices fluctuated at high levels. Quotations for bare bright copper held high at 98.5%–99% payability. In contrast, offers for No. 2 ccopper material scrap(Birch/Cliff) showed distinct divergence. However the global recycled raw material market currently exhibits a gridlock defined by "weak supply and demand."