Copper Falls in Thin Holiday Trading

2026-02-17 04:31 By Jam Kaimo Samonte 1 min. read

Copper fell 1% to around $5.7 per pound on Tuesday, slipping to its lowest level since early January as liquidity thinned amid Lunar New Year holidays in China and other Asian markets.

The red metal also faced pressure after global inventories tracked by the London Metal Exchange surged to their highest level in more than two decades.

Total readily available copper stockpiles across exchanges in Shanghai, London, and New York climbed above 1 million tons.

In corporate news, BHP Group reported strong earnings, with higher copper output helping offset weakness in its China exposed iron ore and steelmaking coal divisions.

Despite the recent pullback, copper remains supported by ongoing supply disruptions and robust global demand from power grids, data centers, and electric vehicles.

This structural demand continues to intensify competition among major industrial economies including China, the US, Canada, Europe, and India to secure long term supply.



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