Copper Falls in Asia as Trump Pauses Iran Strikes, Leaving Outlook 'Very Binary'

8 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · May 19

Copper futures in Asia gave up an initial bounce and turned lower as investors shrugged off Donald Trump’s signal that he had paused fresh strikes on Iran for more talks.
Trump said the pause followed appeals from Persian Gulf allies, but the market treated any path to a peace deal with Tehran as highly uncertain.
Asian equities also retreated, reinforcing the move in metals as traders focused on broader worries about the global economy rather than the temporary easing in geopolitical risk.
The slide underscored how copper remains caught between two opposing forces: relief if tensions ease and renewed pressure if conflict or growth fears intensify.

Is the global economy prepared for a prolonged disruption of the critical Strait of Hormuz waterway if peace talks fail?

With its proxy power eroding, what is Iran's next move in its decades-long standoff with the United States?

Can decades of deep-seated mistrust, rooted in the 1953 coup, ever be overcome for a lasting US-Iran peace deal?