美联储12月降息预期扰动，铜价高位震荡

Group 1: Copper - The copper prices are under pressure due to the increasing divergence within the Federal Reserve regarding the potential interest rate cut in December, following better-than-expected U.S. non-farm payroll data [2] - The weekly price changes for copper are as follows: London copper down 1.38%, Shanghai copper down 1.43%, and U.S. copper down 1.07% [2] - Copper inventories across major exchanges have accumulated, with London copper at 155,000 tons (+14.22%), New York copper at 403,000 short tons (+5.66%), and Shanghai copper at 111,000 tons (+1.09%) [2] - Domestic electrolytic copper social inventory stands at 195,000 tons, showing a decrease of 3.28% [2] - The weekly operating rate for electrolytic copper rods is 70.07%, reflecting a week-on-week increase of 3.19 percentage points [2] - In the medium to long term, insufficient capital expenditure in copper mining and frequent supply-side disruptions may lead to a shift from a tight balance to a shortage in the copper supply-demand landscape, potentially driving prices upward [2] Group 2: Aluminum - Aluminum prices have retreated from high levels due to macroeconomic disturbances, with Shanghai aluminum down 2.32% to 21,500 yuan/ton [3] - The current price of alumina has decreased by 0.18% to 2,850 yuan/ton, while the main futures contract for alumina fell 3.22% to 2,731 yuan/ton [3] - The operating capacity for metallurgical-grade alumina reached 90.456 million tons per year, with a weekly operating rate down 0.77 percentage points to 80.40% [3] - London aluminum inventory is at 548,000 tons (-0.79%), while Shanghai aluminum inventory increased by 7.67% to 123,700 tons [3] - The domestic electrolytic aluminum operating capacity is nearing its ceiling, and with stable demand growth, a shortage may emerge next year, suggesting a potential upward trend in aluminum prices [3] Group 3: Lithium - Lithium carbonate prices have increased by 8.40% to 92,300 yuan/ton, while lithium spodumene prices rose by 8.25% to 1,089 USD/ton [4] - The weekly production of lithium carbonate is 22,100 tons, reflecting a 2.7% increase [4] - The inventory of lithium salts has been continuously reduced, indicating a tightening supply situation, with lithium carbonate experiencing 14 consecutive weeks of inventory reduction [4] - The production of lithium iron phosphate in October reached 394,000 tons, marking a year-on-year increase of 51% and a month-on-month increase of 11% [4] - The lithium sector is expected to enter a new demand-driven cycle, with companies in this space likely to see a profit turning point [4] Group 4: Cobalt - Cobalt prices are expected to continue rising due to a tight supply situation, with MB cobalt up 0.74% to 23.83 USD/pound and domestic cobalt prices up 2.02% to 405,000 yuan/ton [5] - The Democratic Republic of the Congo has lifted its cobalt export ban, transitioning to a quota system, but current approvals for cobalt intermediate exports remain pending [5] - The expected transportation time indicates that Congolese raw materials may not arrive until March 2026, maintaining a tight supply-demand balance in the cobalt market [5]