
Trump's Tariff Threat Sparks Global Race to Get Copper to the US
Save
The world's top commodity traders are rushing to ship copper to the US from as far afield as Asia as Donald Trump's threat of import tariffs on the metal creates a huge opportunity for profit.
The gap between copper prices in the US and the rest of the world widened sharply after the president on Tuesday ordered the Commerce Department to examine potential levies on the metal. Prices on New York's Comex surged as much as 4.9% to trade more than $1,000 a ton above the London Metal Exchange benchmark, which rose 1.2% to about $9,500 a ton.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Comex aluminium premiums beyond August dip on US tariff rollback bets
By Pratima Desai LONDON (Reuters) -Prices of aluminium premium contracts on Comex exchange beyond August have fallen due to some speculation that tariffs on U.S. imports of the metal could be halved or that top supplier Canada could get an exemption. Taxes on aluminium are part of a broader U.S. effort to revive domestic smelting capacity and cut reliance on imports of the metal used in the transport, packaging, power and construction industries. Aluminium shipped to the United States has been subject to a 50% levy since June 4. The physical price premium for the August contract has climbed above 70 U.S. cents a lb or $1,543 a metric ton, up nearly 90% since the end of May. U.S. buyers of aluminium on the physical market typically pay the London Metal Exchange benchmark plus the Midwest premium to cover costs including freight and taxes. Traders and industry sources said the premium on Comex, part of the CME Group, for September onwards had dropped because of bets on lower prices due to some expecting President Donald Trump to row back on aluminium import taxes. The Midwest aluminium premium for September is currently trading around 67 cents a lb and at 60 cents a lb for December. Numbers from information provider Trade Data Monitor show the United States imported more than 3.9 million tons of aluminium last year of which 70% or more than 2.7 million tons were shipped from Canada. However, consultancy Harbor Aluminum expects tariffs on U.S. aluminium imports to stay because the U.S. government believes that tariffs are important for national security. "Harbor does not see the U.S. reducing the 50% tariff or offering exemptions ... more so now that it has become 'addicted' to the revenue the tariffs provide," the consultancy said in a note. "We remain bullish and continue to expect the Midwest premium to trend toward 78 cents a lb before the end of the year and 87 cent a lb in 2026." Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data


CNBC
19 hours ago
- CNBC
Gold firms as investors await key U.S. inflation data
Gold prices edged higher on Tuesday, after a sharp selloff in the previous session, as investors focused on U.S. inflation data that could shape the Federal Reserve's rate-cut timeline. Spot gold was up 0.2% at $3,349.13 per ounce. U.S. gold futures for December delivery were steady at $3,398.90. Bullion slid 1.6% to a more than one-week low on Monday, while futures dropped more than 2%, after U.S. President Donald Trump ruled out tariffs on imported bullion. Comex front-month gold futures are now in line with London spot after a near $40/ounce premium on Friday, said Nitesh Shah, commodities strategist at WisdomTree. "However, in the absence of an official statement, this convergence may prove temporary, and the two prices could diverge again if uncertainty resurfaces," he said. The U.S. consumer prices index report is due at 1230 GMT later in the day and producer prices data is due on Thursday. Economists in a Reuters poll expect core CPI to have risen 0.3% in July, pushing the annual rate to 3%, drifting further away from the Fed's 2% target. "After recent surprise weak labor data, if inflation numbers come in softer, market expectations for a rate cut are likely to rise, which would support gold," said ANZ Commodity Strategist Soni Kumari. CME's FedWatch Tool shows markets are pricing in an 85% chance of a rate cut next month. Looser monetary policy, coupled with political and economic uncertainty, tends to benefit gold. Attention is also shifting to the Fed's leadership beyond the current cycle, with Chair Jerome Powell's term ending next May. Trump has spent much of the year unsuccessfully pressing for deeper rate cuts, and speculation is building over who might succeed Powell. Meanwhile, Trump extended a tariff truce with China by 90 days. Elsewhere, spot silver gained 0.6% to $37.81 per ounce, platinum rose 0.8% to $1,336.84 and palladium climbed 1.5% to $1,152.68.


Time Magazine
19 hours ago
- Time Magazine
The Historic Danger of Trump Undercutting the BLS
The United States labor market shrank in May and June. The following month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported as such. Then, President Donald Trump fired the commissioner of the BLS. The move isn't just a reflection of Trump's extraordinary exercise of executive power. It also dealt a major blow to trust in information provided by the U.S—and thus, both to America's economy and wider reputation abroad. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. President Trump has also, for instance, directed the Commerce Department to begin work on a "new" census that would exclude millions of people from the population tally and would leverage "the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024." The credibility of the American government's most fundamentally important data, and its word on major issues, is critical both to American prosperity and to allied confidence. At the beginning of the Cuban missile crisis, President John F. Kennedy asked former Secretary of State Dean Acheson to meet with French President Charles de Gaulle to brief him on the reasons for America's blockade of Cuba. Acheson offered to show him pictures of Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba to justify the decision. DeGaulle's response was clear and definitive. " he responded, "The word of the President of the United States is good enough for me." This clear demonstration of trust proved to be an enormous benefit in mobilizing French and other international support for the U.S. vis-à-vis the Soviet Union during this period. In the years that followed, it wasn't always that way. Trust in President Lyndon B. Johnson faltered when foreigners questioned the validity of the information presented to justify the Tonkin Bay Resolution to support escalating the U.S. presence in the Vietnam War. Many countries, especially France (it turns out, quite correctly), questioned the validity of the information presented to justify President George W. Bush's decision to engage in the Second Iraq War. Read More: How Trump's Decision to Fire BLS Commissioner Echoes Putin's Strategies Trust and credibility with leaders abroad, along with many Americans, have long been important components in support (or lack thereof) for Washington's foreign and military policy. But this subject is not confined to these areas of policy. Trust and credibility are critical for confidence in economic and financial matters as well—and for the sustained prosperity of our country. One of the reasons Americans and foreigners invest in the U.S. is, of course, the size and dynamism of the U.S. economy. And President Donald Trump has worked hard, and in many cases quite successfully, to encourage more domestic and foreign investment here. But another key factor that makes investment attractive here is the history of trust in statistics provided by Washington. Distrust of Government Data would work against that goal. Investors operate under the assumption, justified by practices and experience over many decades, that this country will allow market forces to drive the economy and encourage the kind of innovation that has been so vital to creating new jobs and innovative companies. They also want to have the confidence that government sources will provide accurate data on the economy; this is vital to decisions in financial markets and to those considering a wide range of investment decisions from building new factories, starting new companies, or making new products for sale here. Having worked in senior economic jobs in the White House, U.S. Trade Representative and other agencies in the administrations of five presidents—three Republicans and two Democrats—I can attest to the value foreign governments and businesses attach to the credibility of the U.S., the statements of its leaders, and the information its government agencies provide about its policies and the state of the U.S. economy. Trust in the word of the U.S. government is critical to the credibility of American leadership abroad. And the reliability of economic information Washington provides to foreign governments, businesses and investors is vital to their confidence in our economy. When I worked as Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs, one of my jobs was to meet with leaders of companies in other countries to encourage investment here: it was a process known as "economic statecraft." And faith in the data and transparency provided by the U.S. government on such things as inflation, growth, jobs, and fair enforcement of laws and regulations were essential as an inducement. This was seen as a sharp contrast to the often-questionable information provided (or at times totally withheld) by countries such as China and Russia. U.S. government statistics were seen as apolitical data. It was assumed that data and other information provided by the government were not susceptible to political pressure on the institutions that provided them or their leadership. The U.S. government is the source of a wide range of vital data. The Federal Reserve is highly respected worldwide for the financial and economic statements it makes. The International Trade Administration in the Commerce Department is a valuable and credible source of trade information. Information provided by the Food and Drug Administration is seen as the gold standard on new drugs. The BLS falls into this category. Data on jobs is a politically charged number; it is often a signal for decisions by the Federal Reserve, as well as by financial and corporate investors. The president has the authority to appoint or change the Commissioner. But in the past, this has been seen as a non-political position. The information provided by the BLS Commissioner simply relies on data from a wide range of non-political and highly credible civil servants. While the president has the authority to replace the Commissioner, the bigger question is whether doing so serves the national interest—or even his own economic policy objectives. Read More: U.S. Enters Uncharted Waters With Next Jobs Report In considering the latter, it is important to recognize that removal of the Commissioner adds to already significant doubts abroad about the reliability of the U.S. and raises the question as to whether information emerging from the BLS or other agencies in Washington is based on factual data or on political pressure or partisan considerations. The next Commissioner, however qualified, will enter that job under this cloud. This is hardly reassuring to efforts or policies to convince foreign companies to invest here (a commendable goal) or to reassure many of the world's financial institutions to buy U.S. bonds in order to help finance the rising deficit we face. To reassure buyers of our debt, attract new business investment, and support American international interests, President Trump must take steps to strengthen trust in the economic data and statements of the U.S. When our president, or another senior official, next meets with de Gaulle's distant successor President Emmanuel Macron, or any other world leader, will the response to information provided by the U.S. be similar to that so powerfully given by Charles de Gaulle? The results will speak for themselves.