The most-traded June copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange was mostly unchanged at 60,400 yuan ($9,600) a tonne on Wednesday. "People are starting to think China (demand growth) will slow down a bit further, but it's still holding all the keys to liquidity," said Jonathan Barratt, chief executive of BarrattBulletin, a Sydney-based commodity research firm.
Chinese demand for copper has fallen short of expectations since it returned from its Lunar New Year holidays in late January, partly because its export markets have been hit by Europe's economic slowdown that has crimped demand for goods containing copper like air conditioners. China imported 375,831 tonnes of refined copper in February, up 137.6 percent from a year earlier, but below December's record of 406,937 tonnes.
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