Copper prices fell on Wednesday, ending a four-session winning streak, pressured by a stronger dollar, rising inventories, and concerns about demand in China, the world’s largest metals consumer.

The benchmark three-month contract on the London Metal Exchange (LME) fell 0.7% to 9,772 dollars a metric ton in official trading, after hitting a two-week high of 9,862 dollars on Tuesday.

Still, copper on the LME is up 11% this year, recovering from a more than 16-month low of 8,105 dollars in early April.

Eva Manthey, commodities analyst at ING, said: “Chinese demand is showing signs of slowing, amid headwinds facing the economy, including tariffs and a struggling property sector.”

Chinese data were mixed, showing that industrial sector profits fell for the third consecutive month in July, amid weak demand and ongoing producer price deflation. However, the decline was smaller than in May and June, while manufacturing sector profits rose 6.8%.

Alastair Munro, senior base metals strategist at Marex, noted that the improvement may be the result of a two-month government campaign to curb excess industrial capacity, including in metals. He added: “Metals prices are holding up well given the weak macroeconomic environment and the stronger dollar.”

A stronger dollar also weighed on metals after US President Donald Trump dismissed Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook, renewing investor concerns over the central bank’s independence.

A rising US currency makes dollar-priced metals more expensive for buyers using other currencies.

Rising inventories in LME-registered warehouses and on the US Comex exchange also pressured market sentiment. Wednesday’s data showed LME copper stocks rose by another 1,100 tons, bringing the increase since late June to 72%, at 156,100 tons. Comex inventories have nearly tripled since the start of the year.

Among other metals, aluminum on the LME fell 0.8% to 2,616 dollars a ton, zinc dropped 1% to 2,785 dollars, nickel slid 1.1% to 15,120 dollars, while lead rose 0.2% to 1,992.50 dollars, and tin gained 0.8% to 34,465 dollars.

Bitcoin edged higher on Wednesday after dropping in the previous session to a seven-week low, as risk appetite remained weak following US President Donald Trump’s attempt to oust Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook, raising fresh concerns over central bank independence.

As of 02:32 a.m. Eastern time (06:32 GMT), the world’s largest cryptocurrency was up 1.2% at 111,272.4 dollars.

Bitcoin had fallen below 109,000 dollars to its lowest level in seven weeks after a large “whale” transaction, with reports showing about 24,000 tokens were liquidated.

The cryptocurrency has now lost more than 10% from its record high in August above 124,000 dollars, erasing much of the gains built on expectations of a Fed pivot toward rate cuts.

Concerns over Fed independence weaken risk appetite

Trump announced Tuesday he had immediately dismissed Cook over allegations of “mortgage fraud,” accusing her of providing misleading information about her housing status in 2021 loan documents.

The allegations had been referred to the Justice Department by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, but Cook denied them, calling her dismissal “illegal.”

Her attorney, Abbe Lowell, said he would file a lawsuit against the administration, arguing the dismissal lacked legal basis and violated the Federal Reserve Act, which stipulates board members may only be removed “for cause.”

Markets are now reassessing the Fed’s rate path, with short-term cut expectations rising, though uncertainty remains high over institutional independence and legal challenges.

Trump Media and Crypto.com launch crypto treasury firm

Trump Media & Technology Group (listed on Nasdaq under ticker DJT) and exchange platform Crypto.com said Tuesday they will launch a crypto treasury company through a SPAC merger, designed to accumulate Cronos (CRO) tokens, according to official filings and company announcements.

The new entity, to be named Trump Media Group CRO Strategy, will be structured as a merger with Yorkville Acquisition Corp and listed on Nasdaq.

Initial financing plans include about 1 billion dollars in CRO tokens, 200 million dollars in cash, 220 million dollars in warrants, and a 5-billion-dollar credit line from a Yorkville affiliate.

As part of the deal, Trump Media intends to purchase roughly 105 million dollars worth of CRO tokens, while Crypto.com will invest in Trump Media shares.

Following the announcement, CRO token prices jumped significantly, while Trump Media shares also rose.

Oil prices steadied on Wednesday after falling in the previous session, as investors monitored developments in the Ukraine war and assessed an industry report showing a decline in US crude inventories.

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said Tuesday he would meet Ukrainian representatives in New York this week, adding that Washington is also holding talks with Russia as part of its efforts to end the war.

By 08:20 GMT, Brent crude futures slipped 4 cents to 67.18 dollars a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 3 cents to 63.22 dollars.

Both benchmarks had dropped more than 2% on Tuesday after starting the week at their highest levels since early August.

Oil prices found some support Wednesday from a weekly report by the American Petroleum Institute (API), which a market source said showed declines in US crude, gasoline, and distillate stocks last week. Official inventory data is due at 14:30 GMT.

Thomas Varga of PVM Oil Associates said: “The API report is helping to stabilize prices.”

In recent developments, Russian refineries came under attack from Ukrainian drones, forcing them to export crude they were unable to process.

Three informed sources said Tuesday that Russia raised its plan for crude exports from its western ports in August by 200,000 barrels per day above the initial schedule, following last week’s attacks.

The US dollar rose against the euro and British pound on Wednesday, though investor concerns about Federal Reserve independence still linger, potentially limiting the currency’s upside.

The euro fell about 0.4% to 1.1593 dollars, while the pound slipped 0.3% to 1.3441 dollars, giving back some gains made after US President Donald Trump announced Monday his plan to dismiss Fed board member Lisa Cook over alleged mortgage-related misconduct.

Cook’s attorney later said she would file a lawsuit to block her removal, setting the stage for a potentially lengthy legal battle.

Trump’s unprecedented attempt to dismiss a Fed board member adds to the ongoing pressure he has exerted on the central bank to cut interest rates since returning to the White House this year.

Although the dollar appeared to have moved past immediate concerns about Fed independence, Trump’s actions contributed to a steeper US yield curve.

Jamie Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group, said: “Trump has essentially taken over the Fed’s forward guidance function right now, telling markets that rate cuts are coming, which is reflected in the curve steepening.”

The two-year Treasury yield – which typically reflects near-term interest rate expectations – fell on Wednesday to 3.6540%, its lowest since May 1, as traders ramped up bets on imminent Fed easing.

In contrast, longer-term yields rose amid fears that early monetary easing could reignite inflation. The 30-year yield edged up to 4.9223%.

Lee Hardman, currency strategist at MUFG, said: “Dollar strength may reflect that market participants are still waiting for stronger confirmation from August jobs data and inflation reports on whether the Fed will go ahead with plans to resume rate cuts next month.”

Money market pricing currently shows an 87% probability of a 25-basis-point rate cut in September, according to CME FedWatch.

In Europe, political developments in France remain in focus for the euro, as Prime Minister François Bayrou seeks to save his fragile minority government.

Analysts at DBS Bank wrote in a note: “While we don’t dismiss the short-term political risks in France, we also take into account ECB President Christine Lagarde’s optimism about economic recovery and her ambition for the euro to achieve a greater international role.”

French government bonds steadied on Wednesday, after the benchmark 10-year yield jumped Tuesday to its highest level in five months. European rating agency Scope sees a government collapse in France as the most likely outcome.

Elsewhere, the US dollar rose about 0.2% against both the Japanese yen and Swiss franc, while the New Zealand dollar fell 0.4% to 0.5834 dollars.