What's going on?

Now we�re not saying global companies are only after one thing, but the price of copper did hit its highest level in a decade on Monday�

What does this mean?

With the vaccine rollout well underway and the world�s businesses gradually shaking off last year�s rust, the global economy is on the up and up. And investors trying to gauge the strength of that rebound need look no further than copper, whose many industrial uses � in construction, transportation, and infrastructure � make it an invaluable economic bellwether.

Copper isn�t the only metal that�s having a moment, either. Lithium, cobalt, and nickel are essential to electric vehicles, which might be about to get a shot in the arm from the US president�s $2 trillion infrastructure plan. All three have seen their prices hit multi-year highs this year, and they could just be getting warmed up.

Why should I care?

For you personally: Someone�s going to pay for this.
Rising commodity prices push up companies� costs and dents their profits, so it�s no surprise that those firms have been talking about raising product prices to make up for the shortfall. And it�s not just big-time industrials you�ve never heard of: drinks giant�Coca-Cola�and household goods conglomerate�Procter & Gamble�both told investors at their quarterly earnings announcements that they�d be passing their higher costs onto consumers soon enough.

The bigger picture: All good things might come to an end.
Still, this rally might be about to hit a snag. For starters, India � one of the world�s biggest raw materials consumers � just reported record coronavirus cases for a fifth-straight day, and there�s no guarantee other countries� recoveries won�t end up derailed too. Secondly, commodity-hungry China is planning to withdraw the economy-boosting support it introduced during the pandemic. And that could knock its surging growth � and its demand for sweet, sweet metals � off course.