By Glenys Sim Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Copper fell for the fourth day on signs consumption is weakening as global manufacturing shrinks. Prices dropped after the purchasing managers’ indexes in Europe, Russia, China and South Africa showed record declines and U.S. manufacturing contracted at the fastest pace in 26 years. India’s exports in October fell for the first time in seven years. “It’s one piece of bad economic data after another and with industrial metals demand so closely tied to economic growth, there’s little to cheer about,” Li Junchao, analyst at Shenyin Wanguo Futures Co., said today from Shanghai. London Metal Exchange copper fell 0.7 percent to $3,565 a metric ton at 11:03 a.m. Singapore time, and March-delivery copper on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange dropped 1 percent to $1.6150 a pound. Copper for February delivery on the Shanghai Futures Exchange dropped as much as 2.6 percent to 27,310 yuan ($3,968) a ton, and last traded at 27,670 yuan. “The latest set of purchasing manager indices does not point towards a swift turnaround in manufacturing activity,” Michael Widmer, senior metals market analyst at BNP Paribas, wrote in a report e-mailed today. “The statistics suggest that prices are unlikely to be supported by demand in the coming weeks.” Among other LME-traded metals, lead fell 1.8 percent to $1,080 a ton, and nickel gained 1 percent to $9,900 a ton. Zinc, aluminum and tin were little changed at $1,170, $1,732, and $12,400 a ton at 10:36 a.m. in Singapore. To contact the reporter for this story: Glenys Sim in Singapore at gsim4@bloomberg.net

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