London copper prices fell on Friday as a newly identified COVID-19 variant in South Africa and expectations of faster-than-expected U.S. rate hikes fueled concerns of an economic slowdown. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange dipped 0.6% to $9,741 a tonne by 0250 GMT. The most-traded January copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell 1.2% to 71,050 yuan ($11,115.63) a tonne. South African scientists have detected a new COVID-19 variant in small numbers and are working to understand its potential implications. The new variant announcement prompted Britain to introduce travel restrictions on South ... (full story)