BEIJING- Copper prices opened this week lower on Monday, with pressure from a steady dollar ahead of US economic data, while subdued demand outlook from top consumer China also weighed on sentiment.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange slid 0.2 percent to $8,528.50 per metric ton, having gained 2.4 percent last week, its biggest weekly rise since November.
The most-traded March copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange little moved at 68,000 yuan ($9,468.77) per ton.
The dollar started the week on a steady footing as investors took stock of US economic data ahead of the Federal Reserve policy meeting this week, while escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East kept risk sentiment in check.
A firmer dollar makes it more expensive for non-dollar holders to purchase the greenback-priced commodity.
Elsewhere, LME zinc lost 0.3 percent to $2,570 a ton, aluminum declined 0.8 percent to $2,256, nickel fell 2 percent to $16,445, lead eased 0.4 percent to $2,156.50 and tin slipped 0.2 percent to $26,600.
