Copper price hits a 20-month low on recession fears

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“The dollar strength was the trigger that came on top of the recent recession fears, pulling the rug from under the market,” said Ole Hansen, head of the commodity strategy at Saxo Bank in Copenhagen.

“This is the time of year where the market can easily get caught on the wrong side when liquidity is drying up.”

China is fighting covid-19 flare-ups on multiple fronts across the country including an emerging cluster in Shanghai, spurring mass testing drives and fresh restrictions.

“Money manager positioning on the CME copper contract is as bearish as it has been since the first quarter of 2020 when industrial metals prices collapsed as China, followed by just about everyone else, went into covid-19 lockdown,” wrote Reuters columnist Andy Home.

“High energy prices are having a chilling effect on previously robust manufacturing activity in Europe and the United States. Central banks are lifting interest rates to tackle inflationary pressures, which is bad news for all risk assets. And the dollar is super-strong, which is particularly bad news for dollar-denominated metals such as copper.”

(With files from Reuters)