The most-traded April copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange was down by 0.9 percent to 59,730 yuan a tonne on Wednesday. Traders said investors were also wary ahead of manufacturing data releases from the United States and Europe, which are likely to show that demand remained slow in January.
China is the world's biggest copper consumer, accounting for around 40 percent of refined demand last year, and global markets have been watching, mostly in vain, for signs that Chinese buyers are returning to the market.