Premiums Weakened as Delivery Approached, Market Trading Was Mediocre [SMM North China Spot Copper]

Published: May 15, 2026 11:20
Today, #1 copper cathode spot prices in North China against the front-month contract were reported at an average discount of 320 yuan/mt to a discount of 220 yuan/mt, with the average discount of 270 yuan/mt down 50 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. The average transaction price was 107,210 yuan/mt, down 105,375 yuan/mt from the previous trading day.

SMM May 15 News:

Today, #1 copper cathode spot prices in North China against the front-month contract were reported at a discount of 320 yuan/mt to a discount of 220 yuan/mt, with an average discount of 270 yuan/mt, down 50 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. The average transaction price was 107,210 yuan/mt, down 105,375 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. With delivery approaching, the market has already begun quoting against the next-month contract today, with the center concentrated around a discount of 200 yuan/mt. Although copper prices pulled back, actual transactions remained relatively sluggish. Today, the copper cathode procurement sentiment in North China was 1.66, up 0.14 from the previous trading day, and the shipments sentiment was 2.49, up 0.13 from the previous trading day ().

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

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Premiums Weakened as Delivery Approached, Market Trading Was Mediocre [SMM North China Spot Copper] - Shanghai Metals Market (SMM)