Copper climbs as supply fears trump weak growth outlook

LONDON: Copper prices pushed higher on Thursday, bucking the shift to safe-haven assets in other financial markets, as a surge in coronavirus cases fuelled worries about mine shutdowns and shortages.

The world's biggest copper producer, Chilean state miner Codelco, reported the death of a third worker from COVID-19, piling pressure on the industry as unions seek greater protection for employees.

While copper often weakens when investors sell off riskier assets, it went the opposite direction of global stocks, which hit their lowest in over a week on rising COVID-19 infections and an IMF warning of a slide in the global economy.

"Even though we may have some doubts about demand regarding the further growth downgrades from the IMF, we certainly have supply worries as well," said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank in Copenhagen.

"That potentially squeezed out a few sellers who had jumped on the low-growth narrative, but there's a supply narrative as well that needs to be kept an eye on. The $6,000 level will undoubtedly attract some attention and that's acting as a magnet to the market."

Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was up 0.6% at $5,900 a tonne by 1050 GMT, having rebounded 35% since touching a 45-month low on March 23.

The Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) was closed for a holiday on Thursday and Friday.

INVENTORIES: Falling inventories also bolstered copper as LME on-warrant stocks eroded further, declining to the weakest levels since January, LME data showed on Thursday, having slid by more than half over the past month.

In China, copper inventories in warehouses tracked by ShFE fell for a sixth straight week to their lowest in more than 17 months.

CHINA COPPER: The premium to import copper into China at bonded warehouses in Yangshan was hovering around a one-month high of $102.5 a tonne.

PRICES: Aluminium fell 0.6% to $1,566.50 a tonne, zinc slipped 0.1% to $2,034.50, lead advanced 1.3% to $1,784.50, nickel eased 0.9% to $12,440 and tin shed 0.5% to $16,570.