Copper prices hit a recent high, downstream unwilling to purchase, suppliers had to cut prices to sell [SMM South China Spot Copper]

Published: Aug 6, 2026 11:30

SMM, August 6:

In Guangdong, spot #1 copper cathode against the front-month contract: high-quality copper was quoted at a premium of 90 yuan/mt, down 20 yuan/mt from the previous trading day; standard-quality copper was quoted at a premium of 10 yuan/mt, down 20 yuan/mt; and SX-EW copper was quoted at a discount of 50 yuan/mt, down 20 yuan/mt. The average price of #1 copper cathode in Guangdong was 107,900 yuan/mt, up 910 yuan/mt from the previous trading day, while the average price of SX-EW copper was 107,820 yuan/mt, up 930 yuan/mt.

Spot market: Guangdong inventory increased again, mainly due to higher arrivals and weaker consumption. Copper prices continued to rise and hit a recent high, so downstream enterprises purchased cautiously, and suppliers had to keep lowering prices to sell, but transactions remained sluggish. In Guangdong, the electrolytic copper purchase sentiment index was 2.30, down 0.1 from the previous trading day, and the shipment sentiment index was 2.83, up 0.02 (historical data can be accessed via the database query).

Overall, with copper prices hitting a recent high, downstream buyers were unwilling to purchase, and suppliers had to cut prices to sell, resulting in lackluster trading.

         

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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Copper prices hit a recent high, downstream unwilling to purchase, suppliers had to cut prices to sell [SMM South China Spot Copper] - Shanghai Metals Market (SMM)