Shanghai copper futures slid on Monday as sentiment remained weak following successive falls in the past four sessions, as the market struggled to find its footing, traders said.
The most active October contract closed down 290 yuan to end at 24,060 yuan ($2,907). Most other contracts shed between 200 and 380 yuan. Volume dwindled to 231,898 lots, down from Friday's 291,690 lots.
"The market is still essentially extending a correction from the highs we saw in March," a Shanghai trader said.
"Investors have been faced with worries about a cool-off in both the Chinese and the US economies over past months, and their faith in the market remains shaky," he added.
On Monday's Asian trade, LME three-month copper traded at $2,525/$2,535 a tonne, down from London's on Friday kerb close of $2,553, hit by fund selling, traders said.
Spot copper in Shanghai fell in line with futures and saw its trading bracket widen to move in a range of 26,000-26,450 yuan per tonne on Monday.
Shanghai aluminium closed down on Monday, with prices ending 70 to 170 yuan lower. Volume fell to thin 31,292 lots down from Friday's 37,792 lots.
LME three-month aluminium was trading at $1,625/$1,630 a tonne in Asian trade on Monday, down from London's kerb close of $1,635 on Friday.