COPPER FOIL/SHEET
Copper Prices Leap As Mart Eyes Quake Impact
March 1st, 2010 / Copper Foil/Sheet
Copper prices surged Monday as traders tried to gauge the extent of disruption to output from Saturday's earthquake in Chile, the world's top copper producer. Three month copper erased last week's losses, rocketing 3.7% higher to end second ring trade on the LME at $7.360 per tonne on Monday vs. Friday's close at $7,096 per tonne. In New York May delivery copper settled at $3.35/lb up 2% from $3.284/lb on Friday, after earlier hitting highs of $3.487/lb.
It was your typical reaction to a catastrophic event. The 8.8 magnitude earthquake, which saw miners across central Chile and neighboring provinces temporarily shut operations and evacuate workers, closed some 1 million tonnes of copper production Saturday. Chile's largest copper mines are located in the northern regions and were unaffected by the quake. But while the quake's impact on Chilean mine output could be limited other market participants warned it might have far reaching consequences for the global copper concentrates market.
One third of global concentrate production would be out of Chile, and while not all of that is going to be disrupted there is potential that smelters in Japan, China and India that have term contracts may be notified that they may receive lower tonnages in the weeks or months to come. Production could also be impacted further due to problems with Chile's power supply. Over the coming days, power may have to be rationed to provide it to the rest of the country. There could also be delayed consequences for more remote copper mines that draw their electricity from diesel operated power plants, which might face fuel shortages because many of the country's oil refineries have been shuttered by the quake
Excerpts from American Metal Market. March 1st, 2010
Copper Scrap Prices Decline as Offshore Sales Lose SteamNovember 15th, 2006 / Copper Foil/Sheet
Prices for higher grades of copper scrap have edged lower as primary metal on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange comes under downward pressure and a pickup in overseas demand fails to meet expectations. The brass ingot makers' No. 1 and No. 2 copper scrap fell 3 cents across the East and Midwest. Prices for most of the lower grades have not changed significantly as demand from Chinese consumers holds steady. But despite flashes of aggressive buying, traders said the demand hasn't yet reached forecast levels. The downturn in the automotive and housing industries continues to reduce demand for copper-based products.
Excerpts from American Metal Market. October 31, 2006
CDA Set to Register Antimicrobial Copper-Based Alloys With the EPASeptember 13th, 2006 / Copper Foil/Sheet
The Copper Development Association (CDA) is preparing to submit an application to register antimicrobial copper alloys with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The CDA research has shown that 99.9 percent of bacteria are killed within two hours of coming into contract with copper alloy surfaces in contrast to no reduction in the concentration of live organisms on stainless steel during a six-hour test period.
The bacteria tested include E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes, both food-borne pathogens associated with several large scale food recalls, and Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), a hospital-acquired infection. The copper alloys tested include high coppers, brasses, bronzes, copper-nickels and copper-nickel-zincs. Because the research suggested the alloys could reduce the transmission of potentially infectious organisms, the CDA believes there could be a huge potential for use in areas such as health centers and hospitals with products such as door handles, bed poles, and stethoscopes.
The other uses of copper have been expanded to include fungicides, pesticides, antifouling paints, antimicrobial medicines, oral hygiene products, hygienic medical devices and antiseptics.
Excerpts from American Metal Market September 12, 2006
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