Copper Boom Is Catching the Eye of Poverty-Fighting Politicians

If three’s a trend, then copper producers awash with cash after a doubling of prices are entering the next phase of the cycle: increased fiscal pressure from their host nations.

News this week from three of the top copper-producing nations show authorities are looking for a bigger share of the windfall. While that’s not unusual in periods of high prices, this time there’s the added incentive of finding ways to fund pandemic recovery, while talk of a new supercycle is also helping to ratchet up political rhetoric.