Base metals backtracked in Monday afternoon trading on the London Metal Exchange (LME) as initial strength in copper was wiped out by profit-taking and the market ended mixed.
Traders said recent volatile moves in copper continued, with wide price movements again a reflection of thin conditions. However, copper's pull back from six-week highs was not fully matched by other metals.
"That's not surprising - they don't go up as much, so there is not much scope to fall back sharply, either," a trader said.
Earlier advances were due to fund and technical buying against the background of a softer dollar, but resistance in the mid-$2,820s proved immovable and prices sped lower towards the end of the kerb.
"It did look as if it (strength) was built on sand. It only needs the currency to move or stock markets to weaken, and back down we go," another trader said.
LME benchmark three-months copper subsided to end the open-outcry sessions at $2,778 a tonne, down from Friday's late kerb close of $2,789.
However, the market was simply ranging at present, albeit widely, while labour talks continued at Asarco, the US unit of the world's No. 3 copper producer Grupo Mexico.
Asarco and its unions have pushed contract talks to this week, although no date has been specified, a company source said late on Friday.
Similarly, negotiations at Alcoa Inc's Becancour aluminium smelter in Canada were limiting the downside for that market.
Alcoa, the world's top aluminium producer, said it would close one of three potlines at Becancour on Saturday, cutting annual production to a rate of 270,000 tonnes from 403,000 tonnes.
Aluminium ended at $1,740, versus Friday's close at $1,752.
Other metals saw less activity, with zinc at $1,021 versus $1,020, while tin was unchanged at $8,850. Lead eased $16 to $852, while nickel dropped to $14,950 from $15,450.
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