Metal bulls cheer end to ‘horrid’ year; Goldman touts copper

As China goes, so goes industrial metals.

That’s the message from anxious investors rolling out of a rough 2018, when Trump trade tensions, Federal Reserve rate hikes, a strong dollar and an economic slowdown in China all combined to push the London Metal Exchange Index to its first annual loss since 2015. Five metals have fallen by 13% or more, led by zinc, which has lost more than 20%.