Finance & economics | Buttonwood

The reasons behind the spectacular rally in metal prices

Quite a lot of the story seems to be about China

TOO SOON. That is the judgment a lot of investors apply to the recent across-the-board surge in asset prices. For it is not just the stockmarket that has rallied. The prices of industrial raw materials have also risen sharply in the past month or so. Iron ore has increased from $80 a tonne to over $100. Copper prices are also up 25%. This is remarkable. The global economy is only just reopening. It feels a bit early for a commodity boom.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Pumping iron”

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