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Industrial metals prices buoyed by hopes for US-Iran deal
Industrial metals prices rose on Monday, boosted by optimism that initial U.S.-Iran talks could pave the way for a deal to end the war. Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange was up 0.9% at $13,723 a metric ton at 1039 GMT. Prices of the metal, which is used by investors as a gauge of economic health, are up more than 15% since March 23. U.S. and Iranian officials made “encouraging progress”, agreeing a 60-day roadmap towards ending the war, mediators said. However, tensions persisted over Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz after Tehran again shut the waterway and U.S. President Donald Trump threatened fresh ... (full story)