Economics

China Metals Bulls Aren't Panicking Just Yet as Rally Fades

  • President Xi squeezes lending in push to deleverage China
  • Campaign saps ‘animal spirits’ in metals, says David Lilley
Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

China’s metals bulls are taking a pause rather than sounding the retreat.

A gauge of six metals on the London Metal Exchange slumped Monday to its lowest in four months amid a collapse in copper and aluminum prices. As industry participants gathered in Hong Kong for the LME’s annual Asia event this week, the hope for some is that a market that hit the skids in April is experiencing a blip and not a retreat to its 2016 lows.