Chart Of The Day: Another Copper Supercyle On The Way?

 | Feb 11, 2021 09:45AM ET

Copper is up for the sixth of seven days. It's the longest winning streak for the red metal in seven months, which has hit an 8-year high while adding over 7% of value.

Investment banks have been forecasting a long-term advance for commodities, as Wall Street bets on a robust economic recovery in 2021—after the one expected last year fizzled. Investors hold commodities in their portfolios as a hedge against rising inflation and a weak dollar.

JPMorgan Chase analyst Marko Kolanovic predicts a new supercycle—a very long uptrend—for copper, as the Biden Administration’s green initiative should boost metals in particular which are necessary for renewable energy infrastructure, batteries and electric vehicles.

The combination of rising inflation and vaccine-induced optimism from falling infection rates pushed hedge fund bullish bets on commodities to the highest in a decade. JPMorgan Chase expects a fifth supercycle after the fourth in 100 years peaked in 2008, after a 12-year acceleration.

Economic recovery aided by the most accommodative fiscal and monetary policies in history, compounded by the Democrat’s fight against climate change provide additional reasons for the bullish outlook on metals and other commodities.

All of which is a recipe for copper to begin another supercycle.