The red metal is expected to surge higher as the
strike at the Escondida mine is likely to
start today. The union at the mine and
the management has not been able to agree upon an amicable solution to the wage issue. The weakness
is likely to persist in the US dollar and
it could weaken further ahead of the
Federal Reserve meeting on August 8, 2006. Expect copper to be range-bound with positive
bias.