Investing.com -- The London Metal Exchange (LME) continues to see copper prices trading at a record discount compared to futures contracts on New York’s Comex.

The price difference is encouraging traders to ship more copper to the U.S., in anticipation of potential tariffs.

LME copper for delivery in three months has fallen by 0.9%, with a current price of $9,839 per metric ton. In contrast, copper prices in the U.S. reached new all-time highs on Wednesday. The surge followed a Bloomberg report suggesting that the Trump administration plans to implement tariffs sooner than previously expected, within weeks rather than months.

President Trump has issued a threat to impose a 25% tariff on all copper imports. Furthermore, he has directed the Commerce Department to explore the impact of copper import tariffs on national security.

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