Copper Prices Buoyed by Miner Cutbacks -- Update
09 Dezembro 2015 - 5:33PM
Dow Jones News
By Neanda Salvaterra And Christian Berthelsen
Copper prices edged up Wednesday as the drumbeat of cutbacks by
base-metal producers continued.
Copper prices rose 0.6% to $2.066 a pound on the Comex division
of the New York Mercantile Exchange, building on Tuesday's marginal
gain. Copper prices have sunk nearly 27% this year as economic
growth has dimmed in China, the world's largest buyer of the metal,
which is often looked to as a barometer of global economic
health.
Base-metal producers have begun taking steps to shore up supply
and demand fundamentals after a dismal year. Anglo-American PLC
said Tuesday it would restructure operations, and Freeport-McMorRan
Inc. on Wednesday followed suit, saying it would reduce capital
spending by $1 billion in the next two years. Glencore PLC and
other miners have made similar moves as prices have tumbled.
The companies' moves may signal to investors in the $7 billion
copper market that steps are being taken now will eventually
restore balance to supply-and-demand fundamentals--particularly if
they lead to mergers that reduce the number of mining conglomerates
operating in the world.
"If there is going to be a contraction in the number of mining
companies, that almost invariably will result in curtailments of
production," said Michael Turek, head of base metals at brokerage
BGC Partners in New York.
Meanwhile, the market was also boosted by higher-than-expected
Chinese inflation data. China's National Bureau of Statistics
reported Wednesday that consumer-price index rose 1.5% in November
from a year earlier, an increase from its 1.3% rise in October. The
higher inflation rate is considered a positive sign for China's
economic growth, which has been flagging.
The numbers exceeded the median 1.4% gain forecast by 14
economists in a survey by The Wall Street Journal.
"Trade data yesterday on the whole wasn't too positive but we've
seen some pick up from Chinese inflation data," said Kash Kamal, a
senior analyst at Sucden Financial in London.
"There is a bit of bargain hunting but there is no real material
news to trigger" a big move higher, he added.
The inflation numbers follow a string of weaker-than-expected
economic data out of China in recent months. The country consumes
about 45% of the global copper supply.
Grace Zhu contributed to this article
Write to Neanda Salvaterra at neanda.salvaterra@wsj.com and
Christian Berthelsen at christian.berthelsen@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 09, 2015 14:18 ET (19:18 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2015 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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