Copper’s outlook is mixed

Article Excerpt

GLOBAL X COPPER MINERS ETF $17.11 (New York symbol COPX; buy or sell through brokers; www.globalxfunds.com) tracks the Solactive Global Copper Miners Index, which includes 20 to 40 international companies that mine, refine or explore for copper. Germany-based Structured Solutions AG created the index in April 2010. Canadian firms make up 48.0% of the ETF’s holdings. They also include companies based in Australia (10.1%), the U.S. (4.7%), India (4.7%), and Mexico (4.4%). The fund’s MER is 0.65%. Its top holdings are Teck Resources at 7.7%; First Quantum Minerals, 6.3%; Hudbay Minerals, 6.1%; Vedanta Resources plc, 5.9%; Imperial Metals, 5.3%; Turquoise Hill Resources, 5.3%; Lundin Mining, 5.2%; Freeport-McMoran, 4.8%; Oz Minerals, 4.8%; and Glencore plc, 4.6%. Copper prices have fallen from over $4.50 U.S. a pound at the start of 2011 to just $2.21 today. Over the long term, improving global economies and uncertain supply should push copper higher. In the near term, though, the metal’s outlook is uncertain. Global X Copper…