Shanghai Futures Exchange copper was barely changed at 37,320 yuan ($5,596.46) a tonne on Monday after remarks by the Federal Reserve chair suggested the US central bank may stick with loose monetary policy for longer, which shored up investor appetite for commodities. Elsewhere, in Shanghai, zinc was up 1 percent on Monday, while Shanghai aluminium fell 1.3 percent. Zinc declined last week after news that Peruvian mine Antamina would boost production tempered expectations of a supply shortage.
But reports of some China steel mills curbing output to contend with low price and pollution controls helped fuel a rally in iron ore that also spilled into zinc and nickel, used in galvanising and stainless steel respectively. China's economy likely grew 6.7 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, the same pace as in the previous quarter, as increased government spending and a property boom offset stubbornly weak exports, according to a Reuters poll of 58 economists.