The threat of U.S. tariffs on copper imports have helped prices for the metal rise to record highs Copper is a critical material used to make many of the things consumers use every day - but it's importance has taken on new significance as President Donald Trump now sees imports of the industrial metal as a potential national-security risk. "Copper is the new crude oil," said Phil Flynn, senior market analyst at the Price Futures Group. It's probably "more important to the U.S. economy right now than oil," he added, calling it the "new hottest commodity on the globe." "Everybody needs it, and we probably don't ... (full story)