Copper hit a brand new report excessive this week as crypto merchants centered on the surge in silver and gold. Nonetheless, copper’s rise may really shift the speed path that underpins the market’s liquidity narrative.
The all-time excessive for copper is now round $6.06 per pound as of Wednesday, Jan. 14.
Futures exercise has tracked the value transfer in ways in which complicate the concept of a one-session burst.
An COMEX replace posted Jan. 15, 2026, reported estimated quantity of 74,332 contracts, down from 83,265.
Open curiosity rose to 269,825, up 3,588.
MarketTimestamp (ET)Estimated volumeOpen interestCOMEX copper futuresJan. 15, 2026, 10:00 a.m.74,332 (down from 83,265 prior session)269,825 (up 3,630)
Crypto markets don’t worth copper instantly, but copper’s proximity to information can feed a cross-asset “every part up” framing.
Gold and silver have made comparable strikes, however many of the consideration continues to be parked on the same old “safe-haven” commerce.
Copper is the one flying beneath the radar, and that issues as a result of it’s much less about concern and extra about real-world demand, the place any signal of persistent worth strain can feed straight into fee expectations and, by extension, crypto liquidity.
Copper’s climb may reprice inflation expectations, and crypto liquidity
That framing sharpens the controversy round how persistent inflation will probably be, the place actual charges are headed, and the way quickly the Fed can ease coverage, all components that additionally form the outlook for Bitcoin (BTC).
That debate has stayed unresolved within the Fed’s personal messaging.
Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari stated inflation might be round 2.5% by the top of 2026, then added, “The query is, is it going to be two and a half p.c by the top of the 12 months…? I do not know”.
Charges expectations for 2026 have additionally develop into much less settled in market commentary, which issues for bitcoin and different liquid tokens that may commerce as long-duration threat when actual yields transfer.
Fee cuts in 2026 seemed like a foregone conclusion earlier, whereas including that J.P. Morgan Chief Economist Michael Feroli stated he doesn’t count on the Fed to make any cuts this 12 months.
Copper’s AI-fueled rally runs into Fed uncertainty
Copper’s rally intersects with a company procurement story tied to AI infrastructure buildouts.
The Wall Avenue Journal reported Amazon signed a two-year settlement with Rio Tinto associated to the Nuton/Johnson Camp copper mission.
The report positioned the deal within the context of report copper costs, provide considerations, and knowledge middle demand.
For crypto, the near-term translation is much less about copper as a hedge and extra about how a commodity-led inflation story can alter the anticipated path of economic situations.
If copper power is learn as demand holding up whereas provide stays constrained, merchants can convey ahead “greater for longer” situations, which might strain leverage and weaken the bid for duration-sensitive threat.
That may occur even when spot flows and protocol-specific catalysts complicate the connection throughout large-cap tokens comparable to Ethereum (ETH).
If disinflation resumes into late 2026, Kashkari’s personal uncertainty leaves room for alleviating expectations to re-enter costs.
That may chill out real-rate strain that has been a recurring headwind for crypto.
COMEX alerts reveal shifting cross-asset positioning and threat urge for food
The COMEX snapshot additionally carries a narrower lesson for cross-asset positioning.
Open curiosity rising as quantity fell, can align with merchants maintaining publicity on moderately than biking by way of one-day momentum.
Open curiosity alone, nonetheless, can’t separate new longs from new shorts with out extra positioning knowledge.
For now, copper’s record-high zone is appearing as a stay take a look at of whether or not “actual financial system” tightness or a softer inflation observe dominates the 2026 charges narrative.
Merchants in search of affirmation will probably be pressured again to the identical scoreboard throughout property: copper’s stage relative to its January peak on Buying and selling Economics and the Fed’s tolerance for inflation outcomes which will nonetheless land above goal by year-end.
