BLBG: Copper, Aluminum Extend Drop to 3-Year Lows on China's Slowdown
By Claudia Carpenter
Nov. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Copper and aluminum extended declines to three-year lows in London after China's industrial output grew at the slowest pace in seven years, heightening speculation that demand for industrial metals is waning.
Production rose 8.2 percent in October from a year earlier, the statistics bureau said today. None of the 18 economists in a Bloomberg survey expected such a small increase. Copper has dropped 47 percent this year and aluminum is down 21 percent as some economies, including Germany, entered a recession.
``No one's protected,'' said James Roberts, a broker at Sucden (U.K.) Ltd. in London. ``Until you start to see aggressive destocking or a real turn in consumer buying habits, or just general macroeconomic positive news, you're probably looking one way'' down for prices, he said.
Copper for delivery in three months dropped $66, or 1.8 percent, to $3,555 a metric ton as of 9:05 a.m. on the London Metal Exchange after earlier declining to $3,520 a ton, the lowest since Sept. 19, 2005. Aluminum fell $10, or 0.5 percent, to $1,915 a ton and earlier traded at $1,903, the lowest since Oct. 21, 2005.
The economy in Germany, the world's third-largest copper consumer after China and the U.S., contracted 0.5 percent in the third quarter and 0.4 percent in the second quarter -- its worst recession in at least 12 years.
Aluminum will have a supply surplus of 850,000 tons next year and 1.4 million in 2010, BNP Paribas forecast in a report yesterday.
Lead for three-month delivery fell $20 to $1,280 a ton and zinc dropped $14 to $1,135 a ton. Tin declined $350 to $13,350 a ton and nickel was unchanged at $10,500 a ton.
To contact the reporter on this story: Claudia Carpenter in London at ccarpenter2@bloomberg.net or ccarpenter2@bloomberg.net