The base metals were mostly in the red on Thursday. Copper declined from the pre-dawn hours through to mid-morning, then rallied to finish at $3.6157/lb., down just more than 2 1/3 cents. Nickel prolonged its recent resurgence, rising steadily to push back over the $11 mark, closing at $11.0873/lb., up 61 cents.

The base metals were mostly higher on Friday. Copper rose during the pre-dawn hours, peaking at $3.73 near the New York open, then slid for most of the rest of the day, finishing at $3.6965/lb., up 9 cents.

The base metals were mixed again on Wednesday. Copper had some big ups and downs but in the end was little changed as it finished at $3.6206/lb., down a penny and a half.

The base metals were mixed on Monday. Copper was off in the pre-dawn hours but rallied back during the New York session yesterday, to finish little changed at $3.6665/lb., down just over a tenth of a cent.

Brazil is an amazing place. For a long time, this country of 186 million was seen as a world power in soccer and that’s about it. Though Brazil is the fifth-largest country in the world and the fifth-most populous, few paid attention to it.