Copper fell the most in two weeks in New York after imports tumbled in China, the world’s biggest user of the metal. China’s imports of copper and products made from it plunged 19 percent to about 232,700 metric tons in January from the previous month, the Beijing-based customs office said today. The price of copper traded in New York fell 55 percent in the 12 months ending yesterday as a global recession eroded consumption. “Demand has weakened,” said John Gross, the publisher of the Copper Journal in Cranston, Rhode Island. “Fundamentals would suggest that prices will go lower.” Copper futures for March delivery fell 3.4 cents, or 2.2 percent, to $1.542 a pound at 9:31 a.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange’s Comex division. Earlier, the price fell as much as 5.6 percent to $1.4875. A close at that price would be the biggest drop for a most-active contract since Jan. 27. On the London Metal Exchange, copper for delivery in three months sank $70, or 2 percent, to $3,415 a metric ton ($1.55 a pound). The price reached a record $8,940 on July 2.

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