Prices of most industrial metals dropped on Tuesday, weighed down by bleak demand outlook following US data that sparked fears of a possible recession in the world's biggest economy.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) was down 0.3% at $8,858.50 per metric ton, as of 0303 GMT. The contract was hovering near a 4-1/2-month low of $8,714 hit in the previous session, Reuters said.
The most-traded September copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) declined 2.5% to 71,260 yuan ($9,964.90) a ton. The contract tumbled as much as 3.3% earlier in the session to 70,630 yuan, its lowest since March 13.
US data showed job growth fell short of expectations and the unemployment rate rose, pointing to possible weakness in the labor market and greater vulnerability to recession.
On the COMEX, fund managers dropped their bullish bets for copper, with net long positioning down to 9,449 contracts on July 30, an 87% drop from May 21, latest exchange data showed.
LME copper has shed 20% since its record high of $11,104.50 a ton hit on May 20.
Physical demand, however, improved as prices fell.
The premium to import copper into China rose to $48 a ton on Monday, the highest since March 18. Copper stocks in SHFE warehouses eased to 295,141 tons, the lowest since May 17, although inventories outside of China remained elevated.
LME aluminium eased 0.1% to $2,248.50 a ton, nickel edged down 0.4% at $16,205, zinc dipped 0.2% to $2,629, while tin advanced 0.3% to $29,570 and lead rebounded 0.7% to $1,944.50 after tumbling 4.6% in the previous session.
SHFE aluminium fell 0.7% to 18,855 yuan a ton, nickel dropped 1.1% to 128,910 yuan, zinc declined 1.4% to 22,225 yuan, lead shed 3% to 17,345 yuan and tin decreased 1.6% to 243,880 yuan.
SHFE lead hit its lowest since May 7 of 17,075 yuan, tracking losses in the previous session on the LME.
