The most-traded November copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell 0.4 percent to 49,060 yuan ($7,986) a tonne on Thursday. "If US economic numbers continue on the better side, then guess what? The December meet is going to be hawkish, which would be dollar-favourable, which would be mostly negative for commodities," said analyst Dominic Schnider of UBS Wealth Management in Singapore.
"As China continues to show patches of deceleration, I'm rather concerned for metals overall. You have to cut exposure. The only ones I would hold would be nickel - on Indonesia - and lead, because it's the only metal not to have rallied."