Indonesia’s Delay of Its Ban on Copper Exports Could Weigh on Prices

Indonesia, a major copper producer, has decided to postpone the start of a ban on its copper concentrate exports until the end of the year in a move that could deflate copper prices after they hit a record high in May. Indonesia wants its local copper miners to build smelters and start processing the raw material locally, to boost the economy and offer higher-value copper products that are crucial for clean energy equipment and grid upgrades. The top copper miners in Indonesia, Freeport Indonesia, and Amman Mineral, were expected to start copper…