Posted on 05/14/2024 11:56:21 AM PDT by Miami Rebel
The May and June US copper contracts both touched $5 per pound today, a record high for the metal.
The story is well-known and something I've been writing about for years: There has been minimal investment in new supply and the green transition is incredibly copper-intensive.
The latest leg is also benefiting from current and future demand for data centers and electricity in general. In addition, China's economy is improving and it's responsible for about 50% of global copper demand.
The picture remains impressive. Goldman Sachs last month said copper is in "the foothills of what will be its Everest" and with the break to $5, clearing the 2022 highs, the argument is compelling. Notably though, today's price action has been volatile. After starting at $4.80, it surged to $5.04 only to retrace to $4.91. A close above $5 would add some confidence for the bulls.
Ultimately though, it will come down to supply and demand. For the bulls, the most powerful indicator is the investment pipeline. It takes 10-15 years to develop a greenfield copper mine so there is very little that can be done if prices skyrocket, aside from additional recycling.
That supply response pales in comparison to what could be insatiable demand for green energy, power transmission, data centers, EVs and even weapons.
"The term Doctor Copper is market lingo for this base metal that is reputed to have a 'Ph.D. in economics' because of its ability to predict turning points in the global economy. Because of copper's widespread applications in most sectors of the economy—from homes and factories to electronics and power generation and transmission—demand for copper is often viewed as a reliable leading indicator of economic health. This demand is reflected in the market price of copper."
In addition to traditional applications, the article points out to the surge in demand for electricity from data centers needed for AI. (We now have multi-million square feet data centers from Oregon to Virginia: their demand for kilowatts is why we're seeing utility stocks outperfoming the broad market by 50% over the past year.)
This just in: Copper thefts are about to hit an all-time high, and the criminals won’t be punished.
Save those old pennies.
EV Chargers hardest hit.
Sleepless meth-heads everywhere rejoice.
EV Chargers hardest hit..................
GMTA!.......................
Indeed they do. :)
meet me at the tesla charging station boys, and bring your snips.
😎..................
All those pennies before 1980...
The pension funds are going all in on BTC.
Uranium stocks should tick up. Hillary sold how much to Russia?
I’ve had a bunch of thick copper wire for about 40 years in my toolbox; my brother had used it for some kind of project.
I wonder what I could get for it...
Copper is rising due to the impact of inflation on commodity prices it isn’t being driven by demand.
This statement: “In addition, China’s economy is improving...” is incorrect. Their stock market has improved in price (also mainly due to inflation of asset prices) but their employment rate, real estate, and overall business activity is still in the crapper.
LP - get a load of this...smh
Dollar falls to 0.2lb of copper.
There’s a misunderstanding: no uranium has left the US. The issue to me is like the current commotion about farmland. Does anyone think that the Chinese are going to airlift Iowa topsoil to Sichuan?
As for uranium, prices are up 70% from a year ago. Cameco (CCJ) is the biggest publicly traded miner and is close to doubling in that period.
I dunno..Silver and Gold seem to be a better way to go.
Copper is up 42% over the past 12 months.
Soybeans are down 11%, lumber is down 5%, coal is down 12%, and gasoline is flat.
It’s fatuous to ascribe copper’s levitating act simply to “inflation.”
I like gold and silver too, but copper’s been outperforming them. I don’t buy commodities, but I’m long FCX and TGB.
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