
ArmInfo. (INTERFAX) Citi analysts believe copper demand will remain strong in 2026, in part due to the energy transition and the boom in AI development. Electrification, grid expansion, and data center construction require significant volumes of copper used in wires and cables, as well as in distribution infrastructure, CNBC reports.
Citi experts even predict a copper market deficit, noting limited supply and the continued accumulation of copper inventories in the United States.
Citi forecasts copper prices to rise to $13,000 per ton in early 2026 and could reach $15,000 per ton by the second quarter.
Avatar Commodities CEO Andrew Glass also notes that "the physical accumulation of copper inventories in the United States" is reducing the availability of the metal on the global market. He expects copper prices to rise to "astronomically high new records."
