DOWN TO THE WIRE

摘要

For roughly a century, electrical contractors (ECs) have used copper or aluminum wiring. Their coexistence at times has been competitive. The nature of the application and, in some cases, price have dictated the choice between the metals. Since we live in a cost-conscious world, let's discuss the price issue first. Earlier this year, copper was selling for $2.90 per pound, while aluminum was going for 76 cents, making it about 75 percent cheaper. But futures-market gurus who have made careers of tracking the price performance of both metals generally agree that they exhibit sharply different patterns of activity.