Shanghai aluminium fell nearly 4% on Wednesday to its lowest in nearly six months as weak property data and rising warehouse inventories in China pressured prices.
The most-traded January aluminium contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange declined as much as 3.7% to 18,280 yuan ($2,862.60) a tonne, its lowest since May 26.
Stockpiles of the metal, which is used widely in construction, transportation and consumer goods, rose to the highest since June 4 at 307,779 tonnes in ShFE warehouses. Trading inventories of the metal in China hit a six-month high of 1 million tonnes.
Meanwhile, data released earlier this week showed China's property woes worsened on all fronts in October amid deeper contractions in construction starts and investment by developers.
Weighing on investor sentiment towards China's vast real estate sector has been a liquidity crisis that was triggered by debt woes at property giant China Evergrande Group.
Three-month aluminium on the London Metal Exchange, however, rose 0.5% to $2,588 a tonne by 0317 GMT, supported by a decline in LME warehouse inventories to a two-year low of 959,975 tonnes.
LME cash aluminium flipped to a premium, of $5.90 a tonne, over the three-month contract for the first time since Sept. 2, indicating tightening nearby supplies.
Fundamentals
LME copper rose 0.3% to $9,598 a tonne, nickel advanced 0.4% to $19,480 a tonne and lead fell 0.6% to $2,294 a tonne.
ShFE copper declined 0.8% to 70,240 yuan a tonne, nickel shed 1.2% to 142,560 yuan a tonne and lead lost 1.3% to 15,060 yuan a tonne.
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