Copper prices dropped on Thursday as industrial output in top metals consumer China fell to a 17-year low in the first two month of 2019, while LME stocks of the metal used in power and construction rose. Other Chinese data showed a mixed picture as the jobless rate climbed but property investment strengthened. Deutsche Bank metals strategist Nick Snowdon said the delivery of copper metal into LME warehouses “has been taken as a signal that we are seeing the softness we saw in China feed into ex-China market.” “China data also disappointed and pointed to relatively sluggish growth,” Snowdon said. Benchmark copper on ... (full story)