Copper coasts as China signals more stimulus

LONDON — Copper prices steadied on Tuesday as top consumer China signaled further stimulus measures to support economic growth and demand while US President Donald Trump raised hopes of reaching a trade deal with Beijing.

Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange closed 0.4% up at $5,920 a ton. Prices of the metal used in power and construction have fallen by about 20% since June and are holding near 18-month lows.

“Chinese trade data and industrial production numbers from Europe suggest the global manufacturing cycle is turning down, which is negative for base metals,” said Danske Bank analyst Jens Pederson. “Chinese stimulus will take time. The impact will be seen in the second half, it is not a second-quarter story.”

China will aim to achieve “a good start” in the first quarter, the National Development and Reform Commission said, indicating the government is ready to provide further economic stimulus.

Mr. Trump predicted that Washington would reach a deal with China to end their tit-for-tat trade war, saying Beijing wants to negotiate and that talks are going well.

China’s exports fell by the most in two years in December, while its imports also contracted, pointing to further weakness in the world’s second-largest economy in 2019 and deteriorating global demand.

Euro zone industrial output dropped by 1.7% in November from October for its biggest fall in nearly three years, stoking concerns about the bloc’s growth in the final quarter of 2018.

Expectations for an oversupplied copper market meant the discount for the cash over the three-month contract closed at a five-month high of $31,50 a ton on Monday.

“Copper has difficult dynamics for the next six months. Demand is likely to be lackluster, particularly out of China as the economy slows and credit growth remains weak,” Liberum analysts said in a note.

Aluminum rose one percent to $1,845.50 a ton; zinc was down 1.1% at $2,456; lead slipped 0.8% to $1,968; tin gained 0.9% to $20,670; and nickel climbed 2.5% to $11,675. —