US copper ends lower

Copper prices ended lower on Monday and hit their lowest level in three weeks as traders reduced risk amid persistent concerns about the recovery and in front of key inflation data due Tuesday from top-consumer China. In New York, the July COMEX copper contract fell 2.15 cents to settle at $4.0345 per lb.
Sentiment remained fragile as investors continued to digest last week's Chinese trade data, which showed tepid copper imports. Copper stocks fell from more than one-year highs, data showed on Monday, by 2,175 tonnes net, mostly due to a 1,475 tonne shipment out of South Korea's Busan. In other metals, nickel slipped to its lowest since November at $22,195 a tonne, before ending down $575 at $22,275.