More Stories

Informist, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026

 

By Ashutosh Pati

 

MUMBAI – Futures contracts of copper on the Multi Commodity Exchange of India and the London Metal Exchange rose Wednesday as market participants turned to real assets amid renewed trade tensions and geopolitical risks, according to analysts. Market sentiment was also lifted by limited availability of the metal.

 

The European Parliament plans to suspend approval of the US trade deal agreed to in July, the BBC reported, citing sources close to its international trade committee. The suspension is set to be announced in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday. This move by the European Parliament will escalate tensions between the US and Europe, which began during the weekend when US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on eight European nations that were against his plans to acquire Greenland.

 

"Market sentiment was influenced by Trump's tariff threats linked to Greenland, which weighed on the dollar (and) kept the metal prices underpinned," Kotak Securities said in a report.

 

"Tight physical market conditions continue to support prices, as highlighted by a sharp spike in the LME's Tom/next spread, pointing to strong demand for immediate copper availability," the brokerage said. Although recent record highs have prompted some price consolidation, ongoing supply constraints are providing underlying support, keeping the near-term outlook constructive despite heightened volatility, it added.

 

At 1628 IST, on the MCX, the January futures contract of:

--ALUMINIUM was at INR 316.65 a kg, up 0.6%
--COPPER was at INR 1,296.55 a kg, up 0.9%
–-LEAD was at INR 192.50 a kg, up 1.3%
–-ZINC was at INR 314.40 a kg, up 1.0%

 

The February futures contract of NICKEL was at INR 1,643.00 a kg, up 1.4%

 

Trading levels for the day on the MCX:
--Aluminium contract seen at INR 310.50-INR 322.80

--Copper contract seen at INR 1,254.40-INR 1,335.80
--Lead contract seen at INR 188.10-INR 197.20

--Zinc contract seen at INR 308.30-INR 320.90

--Nickel contract seen at INR 1,600.00-INR 1,660.00

End

 

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

 

Edited by Vandana Hingorani

 

For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.

 

Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd. by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt. Ltd.

 

Informist Media Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com

 

© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2026. All rights reserved.