Basically everything was up to one degree or another on the surprisingly weak jobs report–the economy added only 266,000 jobs–for April. The Standard & Poor’s 500 closed higher by 0.74% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.66%. The NASDAQ Composite moved up 0.88% and the Russell 2000 finished ahead 1.38%.
Copper has rallied–again–to a new 10-year high and that has taken Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold to $39.53 today, April 28, as of 3:50 p.m.. That’s above my target price in my Jubak Picks Portfolio of $34. So today I’m selling this position. The stock is up 39.34% as of 3:50 p.m. New York time since I added it to the portfolio on January 6, 2021. I still have substantial exposure to copper through my positions in Southern Copper (SCCO) in my long-term 50 Stocks Portfolio and in my Dividend Portfolio.
With the financial markets closed tomorrow for Good Friday, traders and investors jumped in to buy today ahead of what is expected to be a jobs report tomorrow morning showing unemployment dropping to 6.0% (by the official measure) from 6.2% in February. The Standard & Poor’s 500 closed up 1.18%. The Dow Jones Industrial average ended 0.52% higher. The NASDAQ Composite finished higher by 1.76%. And the small cap Russell 2000 gained 1.50% on the day.
In commodities world there are bounces. There are rallies. And then there are super cycles of higher prices that can go on for years on an imbalance between supply and demand. We’re had our bounce in copper. And our rally. Now are we seeing the emergence of a copper super cycle? I think the answer is yes.
At the close today the Standard & Poor’s 500 was down 0.19%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended dead even. The NASDAQ Composite “soared” 0.07%. It wasn’t until you looked at the Russell 2000 small cap index that you saw any signs of what a wild day it was. That index, so economically sensitive these days, finished ahead 2.04%. Don’t look to the usual suspects if you’re seeking big winners today.
Back on January 26 copper miner Freeport McMoRan (FCX) dropped sharply–down 6.5%–when the company lowered guidance for production in 2021. For 2021 Freeport McMoRan expects sales of 3.8 billion pounds of copper and 1.3 million ounces of gold. In October the company guided analysts to production of 3.85 billion pounds of copper and 1.4 million ounces of gold. (Freeport-McMoRan did raised its 2022 target for copper sales to 4.3 billion pounds from 4.2 billion.) But the company did report fourth quarter earnings of 39 cents a share, matching Wall Street projections. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the company earned 2 cents a share. But…
Commodities have soared on prospects for a post-coronavirus vaccine economic recovery. And copper is one of the best commodities to own in order to invest in the recovery of the global economy–and especially the growth in the Chinese economy–as the coronavirus pandemic recedes in 2021. I already own Southern Copper (SCCO) in my Dividend Portfolio and First Quantum Minerals (FQVLF) in my Volatility Portfolio. Those stocks were up 56.83% and 77.64%, respectively, in 2020. Tomorrow, January 6, I will add shares of Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold to my Jubak Picks Portfolio.
