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More Reading from MarketBeat

Digging Into Demand: Copper’s Scarcity Premium Is Rising

Submitted by Jeffrey Neal Johnson. Publication Date: 1/29/2026. 

At a Glance

• The explosive growth of artificial intelligence data centers is driving an unprecedented surge in copper demand.
• Major mining producers are utilizing new leaching technologies to extract additional value from waste rock stockpiles without digging new mines.
• Investors can access this structural growth trend through diversified funds that offer broad exposure to global producers rather than single stocks.

Gold and silver have dominated financial headlines for the past 18 months. Driven by central bank buying, geopolitical instability, and global economic uncertainty, precious metals have provided a necessary shield for investors seeking safety. However, as the calendar turns to February 2026, the market narrative is shifting. The defensive trade is giving way to a growth trade, and copper is leading the charge.

Currently testing the $5.85 to $6 per pound range (approximately $12,900 per metric tonne), copper is decoupling from traditional industrial cycles. In previous decades, copper prices moved in lockstep with construction and GDP trends—when housing slowed, copper fell. Today, that correlation is breaking. A new, dual and largely price-inelastic engine is driving demand: the electrification of the global power grid and the massive energy requirements of artificial intelligence (AI).

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Today’s copper story is about more than building electric vehicles. Data centers running advanced AI models consume far more power than traditional server farms. This infrastructure requires substantial copper cabling for transmission lines, transformers, and grounding systems. At the same time, global copper supply is under pressure from aging mines and scant discoveries. This supply-demand imbalance creates a compelling setup for the sector that looks different from any cycle investors have seen before.

Freeport-McMoRan: Capturing the AI Demand Wave

For investors looking to capitalize on the volume of copper needed for the AI transition, Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) stands out as a primary beneficiary.

As one of the world’s largest publicly traded producers, Freeport’s stock price is highly sensitive to the spot price of copper. Unlike diversified miners that also sell iron or coal, Freeport is a near-pure copper play: when copper prices rise, Freeport’s profit marginsexpand significantly.

This leverage showed up clearly in the company’s recent fourth-quarter earnings reportreleased on Jan. 22, 2026. Freeport reported earnings per share (EPS) of 47 cents, beating analyst estimates of 28 cents, and revenue of $5.63 billion. Those results suggest demand from tech and infrastructure sectors is translating into tangible cash flow.

Innovation Through Leaching

Beyond traditional open-pit expansion, Freeport is deploying a strategy that separates it from many competitors: leaching technology. Developing a new mine can take more than 15 years because of permitting, environmental studies, and construction. Freeport, however, holds massive stockpiles of waste rock from decades of prior mining operations.

By applying new, proprietary leaching techniques to these stockpiles, the company can recover residual copper previously deemed unrecoverable. That approach brings new metal to market without the massive capital expense or decade-long delay of sinking a new shaft. It’s effectively squeezing water from stone and is the quickest way for a major producer to help alleviate the immediate supply squeeze caused by the AI boom.

Navigating Supply Constraints

Following a mudslide in late 2025, Freeport has been managing challenges at its Grasberg district in Indonesia. While this temporarily reduces production, it paradoxically supports the bullish thesis: removing that supply from the global market tightens availability, keeps copper prices elevated, and boosts the profitability of Freeport’s North and South American operations.

Southern Copper: The Value of Scarcity

While Freeport represents a play on rising demand, Southern Copper Corporation (NYSE: SCCO) illustrates the value of scarcity.

In the mining industry, reserves—the amount of metal a company has in the ground that is economically viable to mine—are the ultimate asset. Southern Copper holds the largest copper reserves of any listed company in the world.

As permitting for new mines becomes increasingly difficult amid stricter environmental rules and local opposition, companies with existing, approved projects command a premium. Southern Copper is currently capitalizing on that advantage with its massive Tía María project in Peru.

Project Progress and Income

After years of delays, Tía María is now under construction and was roughly 25% complete as of early 2026. While competitors are still searching for new deposits or battling for permits, Southern Copper is advancing a ready-to-build project that could add meaningful supply. That growth profile is a key differentiator as the global supply cliff approaches.

Southern Copper is also a favorite for income-oriented investors. The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1 per share. In the volatile world of commodities, that payout provides a steady yield while investors wait for Tía María to ramp up. Although political risk in parts of Latin America remains a factor, the firm’s low-cost operations in Mexico offer a financial cushion that helps protect the dividend.

How to Invest Without Picking Winners

Investing in individual miners carries company-specific risks that holding the metal itself does not. A single mine collapse, a labor strike, or a sudden tax change can hurt a stock even as copper prices rise. For investors who want exposure to the copper thesis—that prices will rise due to shortages—without taking single-company risk, Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) can be an efficient solution.

• Global X Copper Miners ETF (NYSEARCA: COPX): This fund provides broad diversification, tracking roughly 48 miners worldwide across Canada, Latin America, and Australia. It reduces single-company risk: if one miner has a problem, the other holdings can help offset the impact.
• Sprott Copper Miners ETF (NASDAQ: COPP): A more aggressive option for high-conviction investors, this fund typically has a heavier weighting in large-cap, pure-play miners like Freeport-McMoRan. If major producers rally, this ETF is positioned to capture that upside more directly than a broader index.

The Structural Floor for Copper

The rally in copper is fundamentally different from speculative surges in cryptocurrency or the fear-based buying of gold. It is driven by utility and necessity: the world cannot build AI data centers, electric vehicles, or renewable power grids at scale without copper. There is no practical substitute.

With prices testing historical highs and supply constraints deepening, copper appears to be establishing a structural floor. Whether through volume leaders like Freeport-McMoRan, reserve giants like Southern Copper, or diversified ETFs, the evidence suggests the copper sector is positioned for a multi-year run. For investors who missed the initial move in precious metals, copper offers a strategic entry point into the next — and potentially most durable — phase of the commodities cycle.

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