LME copper prices closed at $8,242/mt last Friday evening, up 1.02%. Trading volume was 17,000 lots and open interest stood at 256,000 lots. The most active SHFE 2307 copper contract finished at 65,320 yuan/mt last Friday evening, up 0.21%. Trading volume was 47,000 lots, and open interest stood at 170,000 lots. On the macro front, Federal Reserve Chairman Powell took a moderately dovish stance, contrary to market expectations, the US dollar index fell.
Markets lowered bets on another rate hike after Powell said the Fed might not need to raise rates as much given tighter credit conditions. SMM data shows that as of May 19, SMM copper inventory across major Chinese markets stood at 123,500 mt, down 17,600 mt from May 15 and down 28,500 mt from two Fridays ago.
The inventory was up 3,600 mt from the same period last year. Benefiting from the continuous decline in copper prices, the price difference between copper scrap and copper cathode narrowed significantly, boosting copper cathode purchases. This drove down inventory across major markets. In terms of consumption, downstream enterprises are currently more sensitive to price changes. If the price does not fall, it is expected that the demand will not change much. Copper prices are still mainly guided by macro influences. Driven by positive macro and fundamentals, copper prices will have support in the short term.
More popular news:
'Bond King' Jeffrey Gundlach Says Sharp Fed Rate Cuts By Year-End Will Push Up Gold Prices
Copper Shortage Is Irreparable Even after Biggest Mergers and Acquisitions, Here’s Why
IMF: US Debt Defaults Will Take a Heavy Toll on Global Economy, Global GDP Growth Can Plunge
Goldman Sachs Sees European Gas Prices Tripling, Gives Price Forecast in H2 2023
BofA Sharply Lowers Forecast for Oil Price, Global Oil Consumption in 2023
Takeaways of Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway’s 2023 Annual Meeting
US Treasury Bill Rates Soar to Record High on Debt Ceiling Jitters
No Other Country can Replace China's Manufacturing Industry Including India
Global Manufacturing PMI in April Points to Greater Downward Pressure on Global Economy
SMM Daily Comments (May 5): LME Base Metals Rose across the Board, SHFE Nickel Plunged

![[ Phân tích SMM ] Hướng dẫn trực quan về Báo cáo bán niên 2026 của 19 nhà luyện đồng](https://imgqn.smm.cn/usercenter/gCNEi20251217171715.jpeg)

