BEIJING- Copper prices were lower on Monday, with pressure from a steady dollar and investors cautiously waiting for economic data from the US and China this week for more clues on demand outlook.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange slid 0.3 percent to $8,553 per metric ton, after a slight weekly decline in the previous week.
The most-traded September copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange was down 0.4 percent to 69,030 yuan ($9,601.77) per metric ton.
The dollar index was firmer on Monday, pressing downwards pressure on the greenback-priced commodity.
A mixed jobs report last Friday showed the US economy added fewer jobs than expected in July, but solid wage gains and a decline in the unemployment rate back to 3.5 percent pointed to continued tightness in labor market conditions.
Global investors are focusing on US and China inflation data due later this week.
Participants were wary of metals demand in China, given the policy measures so far failed to excite the market and signal promising demand for industrial metals. – Reuters
