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Copper Is Surging, But It Doesn’t Mean Economy Is Booming

  • The metal is up about 45% on the LME from a low in March
  • Fundamentals underpin gains, while fears over pandemic loom
Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg
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Copper prices are surging, and for once it’s not because the economy is booming.

The metal -- known colloquially as Dr. Copper because its performance is often used to gauge the health of the overall economy -- has surged by a staggering 45% since mid-March. That’s despite the International Monetary Fund downgrading its global forecast and a resurgence of Covid-19 infections forcing governments around the world to re-impose business-crippling lockdowns.