Should we now worry about the fall in copper prices too?

The sharp overnight fall in copper prices seems to have been driven by investor panic rather than a sudden deterioration in fundamentals and, as such, it could swiftly be reversed. Admittedly, copper’s reputation as a bellwether for the health of the global economy – and China in particular – means that it cannot be ignored. But the prices of most industrial metals have been weakening for several years and the latest moves do not mark a major change in the trends.