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铜月报:关注美联储货币政策表态,支撑强-20250905
Wu Kuang Qi Huo·2025-09-05 13:26

Group 1: Report Industry Investment Rating - No industry investment rating is provided in the report. Group 2: Core Views of the Report - Entering September, China's refined copper production is expected to decline. Coupled with the expected decrease in recycled copper substitution and the seasonal recovery of demand, the copper supply is relatively balanced. Overseas demand is expected to improve, but there is still pressure for further inventory accumulation. The market has already anticipated the Fed's interest rate cut. The focus is on its attitude towards subsequent monetary policy. If it remains dovish, it will further boost market sentiment. Overall, the decline in domestic copper production and the seasonal improvement in consumption will provide strong support for copper prices. If the Fed continues to be dovish, copper prices are expected to rise. If the Fed's stance is neutral, the increase in copper prices is expected to be weaker. This month, the operating range of the main SHFE copper contract is expected to be between 77,500 - 82,000 yuan/ton, and the operating range of LME 3M copper is expected to be between 9,600 - 10,400 US dollars/ton. The operation suggestion is to buy on dips [9]. Group 3: Summary by Directory 3.1 Monthly Points Summary - Supply: The supply of copper concentrates remains tight, and the marginal supply of domestic crude copper has tightened. The production of domestic refined copper has declined, and the decline is expected to widen in September [9]. - Demand: In August, the apparent consumption of refined copper in China is estimated to have continued to grow. In September, with the higher base, the apparent consumption is expected to decline. The overseas manufacturing industry's prosperity has improved, and the short - term demand is expected to be okay [9]. - Import and Export: In August, the import window for SHFE copper opened, and the estimated import volume increased [9]. - Inventory: In August, the inventories of SHFE, LME, COMEX, and bonded areas all increased. It is estimated that there will still be some pressure for inventory accumulation overseas in September [9]. 3.2 Futures and Spot Market - Market Review: In August, copper prices fluctuated upwards. The main SHFE copper contract rose 1.76% and the LME 3M copper contract rose 3.11%. The upward resonance of the global equity market and the increasing expectation of a US interest rate cut were the main reasons for the rise in copper prices. The US dollar index fell 2.16%, and the offshore RMB appreciated 1.22% [17]. - Market Spreads: In August, the inventory in the London market continued to increase, and the spot was relatively loose. The SHFE copper trend was stronger than that of LME copper, and the import window opened once. The COMEX - LME copper spread maintained a range - bound operation [20]. - Inventory & Basis: As of the end of August, the total inventory of the three major exchanges plus the Shanghai bonded area was about 574,000 tons, an increase of 51,000 tons from the beginning of August. The LME copper inventory continued to increase slightly, and the increase slowed down recently. The total COMEX copper inventory continued to rise, increasing by about 18,000 tons in August. In terms of the basis, the increase in LME inventory pushed Cash/3M to maintain a discount, and the discount narrowed at the beginning of September. In China, the basis remained firm due to the tight supply of scrap copper, reporting about 180 yuan/ton at the beginning of September [23][26]. - Fund Sentiment: As of the end of August, the CFTC fund position remained net long, but the net long ratio declined to 12%. The LME investment fund's long - position ratio declined, and the sentiment was still cautious. In September, the impact on market sentiment is expected to come from the Fed's monetary policy path, inventory changes, etc. [29] 3.3 Supply and Demand Analysis - Supply - Copper Ore: In July, Chile's copper ore production rebounded month - on - month but remained at a relatively low level. In June, Peru's copper ore production increased both year - on - year and month - on - month. Recently, there has still been some interference in overseas copper ore supply, but the impact has weakened marginally. In August, the inventory of copper concentrates at major Chinese ports rebounded, and the spot supply at ports was marginally loose. The spot TC of copper concentrates first rose and then fell in August, reporting - 41.5 US dollars/ton at the end of August. The supply - demand relationship remained tight. In September, as domestic smelting maintenance is expected to increase, TC is expected to rise [34][37]. - Supply - Refined Copper: Since August, the processing fees for domestic crude copper and imported crude copper have fluctuated and declined. Recently, the adjustment of domestic recycled copper policies has led to a decrease in the production of crude copper and anode copper from scrap, and the supply has tightened marginally. The price of sulfuric acid, a by - product of smelting in mainstream domestic regions, has declined month - on - month but remained at a relatively high level, contributing positively to smelting revenue. In August, the smelter's operating rate remained high, and the production of domestic refined copper only declined slightly. In September, there will be more domestic copper smelting maintenance, and coupled with the decrease in the production of anode copper from scrap copper, the production of refined copper is expected to decline significantly (about 50,000 tons) [40][43]. - Supply - Recycled Copper: In August, the average price difference between refined and scrap copper in China was about 1,070 yuan/ton, continuing to narrow month - on - month. The substitution advantage of scrap copper was at a relatively low level. In August, under the expectation of standardizing investment promotion in various regions, the operating rate of recycled copper rod enterprises continued to decline. In September, the recycled copper policy will become clearer. Once the policy is implemented, it is expected to bring greater pressure to recycled copper enterprises. If upstream recycling enterprises do not adjust prices, the recycled copper rod will maintain a low operating rate [46]. - Demand - China: Assuming an increase in net imports in August, the apparent consumption of domestic refined copper is estimated to be 1.394 million tons, a year - on - year increase of about 3.8%. From January to August, the cumulative apparent consumption was about 10.747 million tons, a year - on - year increase of 9.6%. In August, the official and Caixin manufacturing PMIs in China rebounded, and the Caixin manufacturing PMI returned above the boom - bust line, indicating a marginal improvement in the manufacturing industry's prosperity. In the first seven months of 2025, China's copper product output increased by about 9.4%. In August, the operating rate of copper product enterprises rebounded slightly and is expected to continue to rise in September. In August, the operating rate of China's refined copper rod enterprises fluctuated, and the average operating rate was lower than the same period last year. In September, there was a marginal improvement. In August, the operating rate of domestic wire and cable enterprises increased and is expected to continue to rise in September. As of July, the raw material and finished - product inventories of copper product and wire and cable enterprises decreased, and the inventory pressure was not large. In July, the year - on - year investment in the power sector decreased, and the year - on - year increase in new photovoltaic installations decreased significantly, resulting in weak related demand. High - frequency data shows that in August, domestic real estate transaction data improved month - on - month, while the production schedule of home appliances in the real estate's back - end was relatively weak; automobile sales remained relatively strong [49][52][55][58][61][64]. - Demand - Overseas: In August, the manufacturing prosperity of major overseas developed economies improved. According to ICSG data, in June 2025, the global refined copper consumption increased month - on - month and maintained year - on - year growth. From January to June, consumption increased by about 5.1% [68]. 3.4 Macroeconomic Analysis - The US employment data in July was weak, and the inflation data rebounded. In late August, the Fed Chairman's speech at the Jackson Hole central bank annual meeting was dovish. Currently, the market has fully priced in a 25 - BP interest rate cut by the Fed at this month's interest rate meeting. However, the actual interest rate cut amplitude and path of the Fed are still uncertain, and its impact on the market may be greater. In August, the US dollar index was relatively weak and is currently in a downward trend; the US 10 - year inflation expectation fluctuated and is waiting for a further direction [72][74].