(MENAFN- The Rio Times) Copper began Monday trading slightly higher, with COMEX near $5.09 per pound and LME three-month contracts around $10,800 a ton.

Moves were small after a bruising week that left prices roughly unchanged but traders nervous and volume elevated. Shanghai futures inched up as well, signalling that Asian buyers are not abandoning the metal.

The damage came mid-week. Tech stocks sold off, crypto markets crashed and delayed U.S. jobs data undercut hopes for a quick Federal Reserve rate cut.

The dollar firmed and risk appetite vanished. Copper followed, briefly touching its lowest level since early November and posting the steepest weekly loss since April.

Market veterans blamed leverage and overextended speculators far more than any collapse in real demand. Across exchanges, the picture is now one of consolidation. COMEX has bounced between $5.02 and $5.15 for days.

Shanghai prices sit slightly stronger, helped by expectations of more Chinese infrastructure and power-grid spending. LME inventories crept higher but remain modest, suggesting no glut.



Fundamentals still point to tightness. Treatment and refining charges for concentrate have fallen to record lows as miners, not smelters, hold the upper hand.

Wood Mackenzie projects copper demand will jump about a quarter by 2035, driven by electric vehicles, renewable energy, data centers and grid upgrades.

At the corporate level, BHP's decision to abandon its pursuit of Anglo American leaves Latin American projects in Chile, Peru and Argentina as the main growth lever rather than bold new mega-mergers.

ETF investors appear patient. Copper funds such as CPER, ICOP and COPX show higher assets and solid year-to-date gains, not panic outflows.

That fits a market that respects long-term scarcity even while trimming leverage after October's record. Technicals confirm the pause. On four-hour charts, RSI has recovered from mild oversold levels and MACD is turning higher.

Daily and weekly indicators remain neutral to gently bullish, with strong support near $5.00 and resistance around $5.15. For now, copper sits between noisy politics and steady industrial reality. Traders mark ranges. Manufacturers quietly secure supply.

And policymakers are reminded that disciplined growth and clear rules, not experimental shocks, will decide the next big leg in this market.

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