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Informist, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026

 

By Reshma Ravi

 

MUMBAI – Futures contracts of copper rose on the Multi Commodity Exchange of India and the London Metal Exchange on Monday as concerns about tightening supply continued to dominate sentiment. Strong demand amid accelerating investments in electric vehicles, renewable energy, power grid upgrades, and artificial intelligence-related infrastructure also aided prices, analysts said. 

 

Market concerns over potential US tariffs have led traders to divert copper shipments toward the US, reducing availability at key trading hubs such as London and Shanghai and supporting global prices, analysts at Kedia Advisory said. Tariff threats from the US have led traders to capitalise on the price gap between cheaper global copper and the much higher-priced US market before tariffs took effect.

 

Copper prices were also supported after hundreds of miners went on strike at Capstone Copper's Mantoverde copper and gold mine in northern Chile, after negotiations between the union and the company on new labour contracts broke down. The strike has heightened supply concerns heading into 2026, adding to existing pressures from mine disruptions and regional imbalances caused by US tariffs, which have helped drive copper prices to record highs over the past year. "The supply-side narrative was further reinforced by the start of a strike at Chile's Mantoverde mine, underscoring the vulnerability of global supply chains," Kotak Securities said in a report.

 

Overall, copper continues to outperform as structural supply risks intersect with improving market risk appetite," it added.

 

At 1729 IST, on the MCX, the January futures contract of:

 

-–ALUMINIUM was at INR 304.90 a kg, up 0.7%
--COPPER was at INR 1,297.55 a kg, up 1% 
–-LEAD was at INR 183.85 a kg, up 0.5%
–-ZINC was at INR 308.90 a kg, up 0.8%

--NICKEL was at INR 1,584.50 a kg, up 1.3%

 

Trading levels for the day on the MCX:
--Aluminium contract seen at INR 303.00-INR 307.00

--Copper contract seen at INR 1,295.00 -INR 1,330.00
--Lead contract seen at INR 182.00-INR 186.00

--Zinc contract seen at INR 307.00-INR 312.0

--Nickel contract seen at INR 1,550.00-INR 1,610.00

 

End

 

US$1 = INR 90.27

IST, or Indian Standard Time, is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT

 

 

Edited by Saji George Titus

 

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