Investing.com - London-listed Glencore (LON:GLEN) shares fell by more than 4% on Wednesday after the mining giant reported a decrease in copper production in the first quarter.
The group posted a 30% decline in copper output during the quarter to 167,900 metric tons. Last year, Glencore produced 952,000 tons of the metal, which is used in everything from data centers to electric cars.
Writing in a note to clients, analysts at Citi said that first-quarter production at Glenncore "came in slightly lower than company compiled consensus expectations with weakness in copper in particular."
Concerns over the widespread impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs have weighed on copper prices so far this year, although analysts still anticipate that demand for the metal will remain resilient during an ongoing transition away from fossil fuels towards cleaner energy sources.
First-quarter nickel production also dipped by 21%, but cobalt output rose by 44% thanks in part to an uptick in volumes at its Mutanda mine.
Glencore left its 2025 production outlook unchanged, and said it projects that profit this year at its trading unit will be in the middle of its long-term annual guidance of $2.2 billion to $3.2 billion. In 2024, the figure stood at $3.2 billion.
"Since quarter-end, financial markets, including commodities, have been highly volatile and unpredictable, responding rapidly to U.S. tariff newsflow and uncertainty," Glencore CEO Gary Nagle said in a statement.
"In such an unpredictable environment, risk management has been a primary focus, noting the many complex supply chains we are exposed to, including the U.S., China, Europe and Canada."
(Reuters contributed reporting.)