Copper futures eased to around $6.67 per pound on Wednesday as traders took profits and reassessed market fundamentals after the metal reached fresh all-time highs earlier this week. Prices had been supported by tariff uncertainty and tightening global supply. A persistent premium for copper futures on New York’s Comex continues to create arbitrage opportunities, allowing traders to seek gains from price differences between markets, while the White House has not decided on proposed tariffs for copper. Operational difficulties in major South American producing nations have weighed on production and exports this year. At the same time, supply has struggled to match demand from data centers, renewable energy projects and electricity grids. Demand in China is expected to strengthen as the market enters its traditional peak season for manufacturing activity.