Copper’s Record Highs Back in Focus as Markets Bet on Long-Term Supply Tightness

Published: May 19, 2026 09:11
As copper prices continue reaching new all-time highs, markets are revisiting previous commodity supercycle rallies. Analysts said the current surge is being driven not only by AI infrastructure, power-grid expansion, and clean-energy demand, but also by structurally constrained mine supply and tightening global supply chains. Unlike earlier rallies led mainly by Chinese construction demand, this cycle is increasingly tied to energy transition and strategic resource security. Industry participants now see copper evolving from a traditional industrial metal into a critical strategic asset.

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[SMM Shanghai Spot Copper] Looking ahead to tomorrow, in terms of regional structure, available supply in Changzhou has become significantly looser than before, with the previous tightness effectively alleviated, weakening the support for local spot premiums. From the perspective of supplier behavior, as the month-end cash collection period approaches, sentiment to offload cargo remains high, and suppliers have a strong willingness to continuously lower offer prices. During the day, discounts for some brands have widened to around 100 yuan/mt, and this trend is expected to continue tomorrow. On the demand side, following the decline in copper prices, some copper semis processing enterprises reported an increase in order volume; according to SMM, some end-user transactions were concentrated in the 102,500–103,000 yuan/mt range, indicating that current price levels are moderately attractive to downstream, with dip-buying willingness improving. However, due to aggressive price cuts by suppliers, downstream buyers still mainly push for lower prices in procurement, with limited willingness to chase higher prices. The import loss narrowed sharply to 80–30 yuan/mt, approaching the import breakeven point. Going forward, it is necessary to monitor the inflow of ex-China supplies. Overall, under the combined effect of selling pressure and downstream dip-buying, spot prices against the SHFE copper 2607 contract are expected to remain at a discount, or to widen slightly, tomorrow.
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