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Copper prices fell on Thursday, as the safe-haven dollar firmed on U.S. downturn concerns and physical metal demand slowed ahead of a long holiday in top buyer China.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange fell 0.9% to $9,242 a tonne by 0707 GMT, aluminum declined 0.9% to $2,615 a tonne, zinc shed 1.3% to $3,360 a tonne, and tin dropped 3.1% to $28,200 a tonne.
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Chinese markets will be closed next week to celebrate the Lunar New Year, leading to tepid purchases of metals.
Yangshan copper premium
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“As the Spring Festival is approaching, downstream inquiries and inventory replenishment are not strong. At the same time, the sharp rise in copper prices has made the wait-and-see sentiment stronger,” Huatai Futures said in a report.
Weak U.S. retail and manufacturing data on Wednesday stoked fears that the world’s top economy was headed for a recession, driving demand for the safe-haven dollar.
A stronger dollar makes greenback-priced metals more expensive for buyers holding other currencies.
However, LME copper was on track for a weekly gain and has risen 33% in the past six months on bets of a demand recovery in top consumer China after it removed COVID-19 restrictions and amid expectations of a slowdown in the pace of U.S. rate hikes.
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Low copper inventories and unrest in Peru, the world’s second-biggest producer of mined copper, also supported prices.
The most-traded March copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange was almost unchanged at 69,680 yuan ($10,276.98) a tonne, nickel increased 4.6% to 214,420 yuan a tonne and aluminum advanced 1.4% to 19,070 yuan a tonne.
SHFE lead fell 0.5% to 15,285 yuan a tonne, zinc edged up 0.3% to 24,265 yuan a tonne, while tin rose 0.8% to 228,630 yuan a tonne.
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($1 = 6.7802 yuan) (Reporting by Mai Nguyen in Hanoi; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Uttaresh.V)
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