Investing.com - Copper prices fell to a four-week low on Monday, after a pair of disappointing manufacturing reports underlined concerns over the health of China's economy.
Copper for September delivery on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange shed 0.1 cents, or 0.04%, to trade at $2.316 a pound during morning hours in London. It earlier fell to $2.288, the lowest since October 2.
The final Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers’ index for October released earlier inched up to 48.3 from September's six-and-a-half year low of 47.2. Despite the modest uptick, activity still contracted for the eighth straight month.
Meanwhile, the official manufacturing purchasing managers' index published Sunday held steady at 49.8 in October, the weakest level since August 2012. Analysts had expected the index to inch up to 50.0 last month.
A reading below 50.0 indicates industry contraction. Copper traders view Chinese factory activity as an indicator of the nation's copper demand, as the red metal is widely used by the sector.
The Asian nation is the world’s largest copper consumer, accounting for almost 40% of world consumption last year.
Asian shares dropped on Monday, with the Shanghai Composite falling 1.6% as appetite for riskier assets weakened amid indications that China's economy is losing momentum.
Elsewhere, gold futures for December delivery declined $2.00, or 0.17%, to trade at $1,139.40 a troy ounce, as investors continued to cut holdings of the precious metal on expectations of tighter U.S. monetary policy.
Gold lost $23.60, or 1.87%, last week, amid speculation the Federal Reserve may still raise interest rates this year.
The timing of a Fed rate hike has been a constant source of debate in the markets in recent months. The U.S. central bank has one more scheduled policy meeting before the end of the year in mid-December.
Expectations of higher borrowing rates going forward is considered bearish for gold, as the precious metal struggles to compete with yield-bearing assets when rates are on the rise.
The U.S. Institute of Supply Management is to release data on October manufacturing activity at 10:00AM ET on Monday, amid expectations for a modest decline.