Shanghai copper eases

The most-traded February copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange eased 0.13 percent to 55,840 yuan ($9,000) a tonne on Thursday as the looming US "fiscal cliff" soured sentiment while signs that a slide in economic growth in top consumer China has halted lent support.
Recent figures show that easing growth in China likely hit bottom in October, boosting sentiment towards the red metal, although investors have shied away from large purchases due to bulging inventories there and concerns about a possible fiscal crisis in the United States.