Copper Hits All-Time Record of $14,533/Ton Amid US Import Tariff Expectations

09:35 - 8.09.2026


September 8, Fineko/abc.az. Copper prices surged to an all-time record of $14,533 per metric ton on the London Metal Exchange (LME), driven by market expectations that US President Donald Trump will expand tariffs on refined copper imports. The rally surpassed the previous peak set in January, capping a 17% gain over the past year underpinned by long-term structural supply-demand imbalances.

Traders rushing to route metal into US warehouses ahead of potential White House duty decisions have drained LME physical inventories elsewhere to crisis levels. This spatial dislocation has severely constrained prompt global supply, propelling benchmark prices to new highs despite sluggish physical end-use demand.