Copper prices slid on Thursday as rising covid-19 infections in China and fears of a global recession weighed on prices.
Copper for delivery in March fell 0.6% on the Comex market in New York, touching $3.82 per pound or $8,404 per tonne.
[Click here for an interactive chart of copper prices]
The most-traded copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange gave up 0.4% to 66,250 yuan ($9,496.03) a tonne.
Spikes in covid-19 cases and the Lunar New Year holiday next month are expected to dampen metals demand in China.
The country will stop requiring inbound travelers to go into quarantine from Jan. 8 in a major step towards easing curbs on its borders that have mainly been shut since 2020.
Outside China, attention is focused on a dispute over taxes between Panama’s government and First Quantum Minerals.
Panamanian officials and the miner are back at the negotiating table after a hiatus of more than a week, with both sides saying they’re keen to reach a deal on tax payments and avoid a facility shutdown.
The company’s Cobre Panama mine produced 331,000 tonnes of copper last year.
(With files from Reuters)
