Market Primarily Executed Long-Term Contracts, Spot Copper Trading Sluggish [SMM North China Spot Copper]

Published: Apr 17, 2026 11:28

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Today, #1 copper cathode spot prices in North China against the front-month contract were reported at an average discount of 150 yuan/mt, with the average price down 10 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. The average transaction price was 101,830 yuan/mt, down 365 yuan/mt from the previous trading day.

SMM April 17 update:

Today, the average spot #1 copper cathode price in North China was at a discount of 150 yuan/mt against the front-month contract, down 10 yuan/mt from the previous trading day, with the average transaction price at 101,830 yuan/mt, down 365 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. Copper prices remained elevated while demand showed mediocre performance. After the contract rollover, the market mainly executed long-term contracts, and spot copper trading activity was sluggish. The procurement sentiment for copper cathode in North China today was 1.33, up 0.13 from the previous trading day, while the shipments sentiment was 1.77, up 0.18 from the previous trading day ().

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