Report Summary 1. Report Industry Investment Rating No information provided. 2. Core Viewpoints - The market is trading on the expected magnitude of the Fed's interest rate cuts, and the US dollar index continues to weaken. Fundamentally, domestic copper production is expected to decrease significantly due to reduced scrap copper imports and domestic smelter maintenance, which will support copper prices. However, the recent significant inventory accumulation on the SHFE will limit the upside space of the market [1]. 3. Summary by Relevant Catalogs 3.1 Strategy Analysis - On September 17, 2025, Shanghai copper opened lower and moved lower throughout the day. As of September 12, the domestic spot smelting fee (TC) was -41.42 dollars per dry ton, and the refining fee (RC) was -4.16 cents per pound, with TC/RC fees remaining weakly stable. Factory seasonal maintenance in September and October will lead to reduced production, and small and medium - sized smelters are facing profit pressure, so the supply of refined copper remains tight. In August, SMM's electrolytic copper production in China was 1.1715 million tons, a month - on - month decrease of 0.24% and a year - on - year increase of 15.59%. Affected by policies, the supply of scrap copper in September will decrease significantly, and smelters have maintenance plans in September, so the electrolytic copper production in September is expected to drop sharply. Although prices have been pushed up recently, the downstream trading atmosphere has improved. The realization of the peak - season expectations remains to be seen. The SHFE copper inventory has slightly increased, with an increase of 6,633 tons from last week. Increased imports and high prices have suppressed copper demand, and the inventory accumulation trend has gradually begun [1]. 3.2 Futures and Spot Market Conditions - Futures: Shanghai copper opened lower and moved lower throughout the day, closing at 80,560 yuan per ton at the end of the session. Spot: The spot premium in East China was 60 yuan per ton, and in South China it was 40 yuan per ton. On September 16, 2025, the LME official price was 10,144 dollars per ton, and the spot premium was -72.5 dollars per ton [4]. 3.3 Supply Side - As of September 12, the latest data showed that the spot smelting fee (TC) was -41.42 dollars per dry ton, and the spot refining fee (RC) was -4.16 cents per pound [7]. 3.4 Fundamental Tracking - Inventory: SHFE copper inventory was 33,300 tons, a decrease of 401 tons from the previous period. As of September 15, the copper inventory in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone was 76,400 tons, a decrease of 400 tons from the previous period. LME copper inventory was 149,800 tons, a decrease of 1,675 tons from the previous period. COMEX copper inventory was 312,900 short tons, an increase of 1,021 short tons from the previous period [11].