State-owned Chilean Copper Commission (Cochilco) on Thursday raised its projection for 2023 copper prices to $3.85 per pound, up from a December estimate of $3.70 a pound, as inventories worldwide drop. Cochilco also pegged its estimated 2024 copper price at an average of $3.65 a pound. In a statement, Mining Minister Marcela Hernando said that "the easing of the zero COVID-19 policy in China; the moderation of North American monetary policy due to the drop in inflation; expectations of a milder than estimated recession in Europe" help the price of the metal. The statement also explained that ... (full story)