US Copper Wire Makers Lift Prices Despite Trump Tariff Reprieve

Major U.S. manufacturers of electrical wire said on 19 August they are raising prices only weeks after President Donald Trump unexpectedly exempted the most basic copper imports from tariffs. The hikes come even as global copper prices have fallen, underscoring the limited relief consumers may see from the administration’s reprieve. Analysts at Monex USA cautioned that broader U.S. levies on foreign goods could still deliver a “hefty growth hit” to the economy, predicting that companies will pass higher costs along the supply chain. The copper-sector move offers an early sign that tariff policy shifts may do little to prevent cost pressures from reaching end-users.