Copper ended lower for a second straight session on Monday as European debt contagion fears and rising Chinese inflation gripped the market and helped withdraw some support from a recent spate of supply disruptions. In New York, the benchmark September COMEX contract dropped 4.40 cents, or 1 percent, to settle at $4.3680 per lb.
Copper's bearish follow-through momentum was fuelled by Chinese trade and inflation data released over the weekend which showed consumer prices climbed 6.4 percent in the year to June and import growth slumped to its slowest pace in 20 months.