An LME measure of near-term supply tightness surged as copper resumed sharp volatility. The LME one-day contract traded at a $75/tonne premium to the next-day contract, the widest since January when the spread hit $100/tonne amid record LME benchmark

2026-08-18

An LME measure of near-term supply tightness surged as copper resumed sharp volatility. The LME one-day contract traded at a $75/tonne premium to the next-day contract, the widest since January when the spread hit $100/tonne amid record LME benchmark prices. The tightness largely reflected traders rerouting several hundred thousand tons of copper to the United States ahead of a Trump administration decision on import tariffs. Tom/next spreads widened sharply on Tuesday, signaling short-position pressure ahead of the LME August contract expiry on Wednesday. At one point on Monday spot copper traded $545/tonne above three-month futures.