Report Industry Investment Rating - Not provided in the document Core Viewpoints of the Report - In August, the global copper market's volatility decreased, and copper prices showed a narrow - range oscillation with a slow upward trend. The main driver of copper prices in August was its financial attribute, and the fundamentals at home and abroad were differentiated. In September, the financial and commodity attributes of copper are expected to drive prices upwards jointly, and copper prices are expected to reach a second high in the fourth quarter [5][6][105] - The global copper supply and demand pattern in 2025 is tight, with a significant supply gap in copper concentrates. The refined copper surplus scale is expected to narrow, and the domestic copper market will be in a tight - balance pattern [88] Summary by Directory 1. Global Macro and Copper Market - In the third quarter in China, there is a policy window period, but market risk appetite has rebounded. The probability of the Fed cutting interest rates in September is high, which is favorable for copper prices in September. The US manufacturing industry is expanding, the employment market is loose, and the market's expectation of the Fed's interest - rate cut has increased, and the US dollar index has weakened [10][12][16] 2. Copper Supply Situation Analysis - **Mine End**: Globally, the supply of copper concentrates in the second quarter was relatively loose, but the annual output increase was limited. The supply shortage situation is difficult to ease in the short term, and the supply gap in 2025 is expected to exceed 1.1 million metal tons. In the future, the increment will mainly come from existing expansion projects [21][25] - **Smelting End**: Although the supply of domestic copper concentrates is tight, the production of refined copper has reached new highs. However, the constraint of mine - end supply on electrolytic copper production will become more obvious in the future. The processing fees of domestic copper concentrates are expected to continue to decline, and the production in the second half of the year is likely to be lower than that in the first half [32][35] - **Recycled Copper**: The spread between refined and scrap copper has widened, and the production of recycled copper has decreased. In the next stage, the substitution effect on copper concentrates is expected to increase [38] - **Electrolytic Copper Trade**: In the first half of 2025, China's electrolytic copper exports increased and imports decreased, achieving a tight - balance in supply and demand. After the US imposed a 50% tariff on semi - finished copper products in August, the import window is expected to open in September, and the import volume will gradually recover [41] 3. Copper Demand Situation Analysis - **Copper Products**: The output of domestic copper products is gradually emerging from the off - season. In September, the output is likely to increase month - on - month, and the annual output is expected to increase by more than 4% year - on - year [46] - **Copper Rod**: The output of refined copper rods is expected to recover. In September, the downstream demand is expected to pick up, and the operating rate of enterprises is expected to rise [49] - **Copper Tube**: The output of copper tubes has decreased month by month, and the copper demand in the third quarter has dropped to the lowest point of the year. In September, the internal and external sales of air - conditioners are expected to decline significantly, and the copper demand will further decrease [52] - **Copper Bar**: The demand for copper bars is expected to decline year - on - year, and the output will show negative growth, becoming the main drag on copper consumption [55] - **Copper Plate and Strip**: The output of copper plate and strip is lower than the average level in recent years. In September, the output is expected to increase month - on - month [58] - **Copper Foil**: The output of copper foil has increased against the trend and is about to enter the peak season. In September, the output is expected to continue to increase and reach a new high for the year [65] - **Power Grid and Power Source Investment**: In 2025, the power grid investment is expected to increase, while the power source investment growth has slowed down. The copper demand on the power source side is expected to decline in the second half of the year compared with the first half [68] - **Real Estate**: The real estate investment improvement is not obvious, and it will still be the main drag on copper consumption this year [71] - **Household Appliances**: The household appliance consumption in the first half of the year has overdrawn the demand in the third quarter, and the copper demand on the household appliance side has gradually declined to the lowest point of the year [74] - **New Energy Vehicles and AI**: The output of new energy vehicles maintains high - speed growth, and the AI copper demand will contribute incremental demand in the future [78] 4. Copper Inventory Change Analysis - In August, the copper inventory trends at home and abroad were significantly differentiated. COMEX and LME copper inventories continued to accumulate, while domestic inventories decreased. In September, the domestic copper fundamentals are expected to strengthen further, and the inventories are expected to decline further [84] 5. Global Copper Supply - Demand Balance - In 2025, the global copper concentrate supply gap is expected to exceed 1.1 million metal tons. The refined copper surplus scale is expected to narrow to about 194,000 tons, and the domestic copper market will be in a tight - balance pattern [88] 6. Copper Position Analysis - In August, the total position of COMEX copper futures and options continued to decline, and the net long position decreased, which had a negative impact on copper prices. The long - position of LME copper investment funds remained basically stable [96] 7. Arbitrage Analysis - The copper Shanghai - London ratio has continued to decline since the beginning of the year. The copper - zinc ratio has continued to rise and reached the highest level in the past 10 years, and it is expected to continue to rise in the remaining time of this year [101] 8. Copper Market Outlook and Operation Suggestions - In September, the financial and commodity attributes of copper are expected to drive prices upwards jointly. The copper price is expected to reach a second high in the fourth quarter, and the high point will be higher than that in the first half of the year. Downstream demanders are recommended to actively set prices and conduct buying hedging operations on the futures market. The support range for the main contract price of Shanghai copper is expected to be 78,000 - 79,000 yuan/ton, and the pressure range is expected to be 80,000 - 82,000 yuan/ton [105]