Copper Wire and Cable Industry Sees Operating Rate Recovery
The copper wire and cable industry saw its operating rate slightly rise in August to 70.45%, up from July's 69.82% but down 1.97 percentage points year-over-year, according to SMM analysis.
This month, the industry faced high copper prices that swung wildly at highs, becoming a key variable constraining production operations.
During the mid-month price pullback, demand orders previously suppressed by high prices were released in a concentrated manner, driving a marginal recovery in the operating rate. However, overall end-use demand fundamentals did not show substantive improvement.
Looking ahead to September, SMM expects the operating rate of the copper wire and cable industry to rebound by 2.86 percentage points month-over-month to 73.31%, up 1.08 percentage points year-over-year.