Outlook for copper supply & demand

Here is a forecast for copper demand presented by an emerging copper producer. The forecast comes from the USGS, the US Geological Survey. They prepare a detailed account of all the mines around the world, so theyh have a good picture of the metal inventories, but I would not trust their forecast for the following reasons:
1. The idea that global demand grows by 3% compounding - is divorced from the current economic context
2. When I want an understanding of global market forecasts, the last people I speak to are government depts. They are notoriously bad at forecasts.
3. The amount of copper sold into the market will depend on an array of factors which this govt dept just has not grasped. Once again, I don't look to govt depts for an accurate depiction of the nature of reality, not for a current view, and certainly not a view of how the world will look in 20 years time.

These forecasts are however used by corporates seeking to pip up their stock prices or raise some money. The problem I have with this forecast is that its extrapolating an exponential curve off the top of a government-stimulated economy, and here we are now, just about to go into a period of rising inflation and interest rates. The full context of this forecast can be gathered from IRN or the USGS website.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com