‘Itâs the end of a very long era and a very sad day.’
By Mark Burton and Jack Farchy, Bloomberg
24 Jan 2021
00:21
The open outcry pit at the London Metal Exchange in London. Image: Bloomberg
Almost every day for the past 144 years, traders engaged in shouting matches at the London Metal Exchange to set the global price of copper and other vital commodities. Now, just as the metals industry gears up for a global boom, one of its most iconic scenes may never return.
The trading floor known as âthe Ringâ fell silent last year, as Covid-19 spread through the city of London. At one of the last open-outcry trading venues in the world, the raised voices, shared telephones and physical jostling among LME floor dealers made for a social-distancing nightmare.