Is a copper crises coming?Prices Hit New Highs on Smelter Cuts
Long-awaited supply tightness has begun to come to fruition in the copper market, and Chinese smelters are now starting to ring the alarm bells on ore supply. Much of this stems from plunging treatment and refining charges, now trending near zero, which continue to force smelters in the country to cut production. Miners pay treatment and refining charges to smelters to process their materials. Higher processing fees indicate higher ore supply, while lower fees indicate a tighter market.