Copper prices fell on Wednesday as data showed Chinese factories were facing the fastest rises in the cost of input materials in 12 years and a Chinese government agency said it would step up monitoring of commodities markets. Investors were also waiting for U.S. inflation figures and a European Central Bank meeting on Thursday for clues about the pace of monetary tightening, something that could knock equity and commodities prices. Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) was down 0.6% at $9,904.50 a tonne in official trading, off a record high of $10,747.50 reached on May 10. Prices are still up nearly ... (full story)