Copper retreated in Asian trade to the lowest prices in four months, with high inventories weighing on prices in both London and Shanghai markets, amid a sharp drop in imports to China. The most-traded copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell 0.7 percent to 44,670 yuan ($6,471) a tonne. Copper concentrate and ore imports dropped 16.6 percent from a month earlier to 1.36 million, though that marked a 7.9 percent increase from a year earlier.
Chinese imports of unwrought copper and concentrates fell in April from the previous month, customs data showed on Monday, as demand from the top consumer and producer of the metal eased amid a subdued outlook for industrial activity. April imports of copper dived 30.2 percent from a month ago to 300,000 tonnes, data from the General Administration of Customs showed, and they were down by a third from a year ago. "It's clear that suppliers have been stocking up on copper and putting it into inventory," said Amy Li, an economist for National Australia Bank.
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