TAIPEI – Last week’s earthquake in Chile, the largest producer of copper, could push electronics component prices higher as a result of a sustained surge in metal prices.

Transport and electricity to the copper mines in Chile were halted after the 8.8 earthquake hit Saturday.

Copper futures rose up to 6.2% on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the most in nearly a year. Whether prices stay higher will depend on the state of the mines, infrastructure and transportation, analysts say.

Operating profit for PCBs could drop up to 14% if copper prices were to increase 10%, says Yuanta Financial Holdings, and connector profits could drop as much as 30%.

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