Copper Traders Brace For Fireworks in US Futures as Tariffs Loom

Copper traders are bracing for fireworks in the New York futures market as uncertainty grows about an imminent 50% levy on US imports of the metal.

Traders and investors have been positioning for copper tariffs since President Donald Trump first formally proposed them in February, with US futures surging above equivalent contracts on the London Metal Exchange. Earlier this month, Trump announced that a 50% levy would come into effect on Aug. 1, but since then there’s been no official word from the White House laying out the finer details.

That’s created mounting doubts about the scope of the ...