Japan Aug rolled copper output down 5.3pc yr/yr

TOKYO: Japan's output of rolled copper products in August logged its biggest year-on-year fall this year, dropping 5.3 percent as demand for use in chips, connectors and automobiles remained weak, an industry body said on Wednesday.

Production has stayed at a low level since early this year as user industries reduced domestic output particularly after the massive earthquake on March 11.

The preliminary data from the Japan Copper and Brass Association showed that rolled copper output totaled 70,670 tonnes in August on a seasonally adjusted basis. In July, production fell 4.2 percent from a year earlier.

Compared with the previous month, output fell 1.7 percent.

"Demand from carmakers remained weak overall, affected in part by the March earthquake," the industry body said.

The only bright spot was the air-conditioner sector, which is continuing to see steady production even though its peak-demand season has passed.

Separately, the Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers' Association said on Wednesday that copper wire and cable shipments climbed 1.3 percent in August from a year earlier, helped by rising demand from the auto sector, though shipments still marked the third-lowest amount on record for the month.

Wire and cables are the biggest application of copper in Japan.

Copyright Reuters, 2011