Shanghai Futures Exchange copper ended little changed at 47,730 yuan ($6,944) a tonne on Monday but prices were supported by simmering concerns over supply amid production stoppages at the world's two biggest copper mines. BHP Billiton has decided to give up its legal right to replace striking workers at the Escondida copper mine in Chile, a move aimed at sacrificing some output to undermine the union's position, analysts said, as a strike at the world's biggest copper mine rolls on.
US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan Inc has warned it could take the Indonesian government to arbitration and seek damages over a contractual dispute that has halted operations at the world's second-largest copper mine.