China’s copper imports rose 12.1% in November from the previous month to their highest in more than a year, as an unexpected improvement in the manufacturing sector drove up demand, reported Reuters.
Imports of unwrought copper including anode, refined and semi-finished copper products into China stood at 483,000 tons last month, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Sunday. That was the highest since September 2018.
The imports were up from 431,000 tons in October, and 5.9% higher than 456,000 in November 2018. For the first 11 months of 2019, imports of unwrought copper were down 8.5% from a year earlier at 4.45 million tons.
The higher monthly number comes as factory activity in China, the world’s top copper consumer, improved unexpectedly in the manufacturing sector in November, as demand rose on stimulus measures to steady growth. “The fourth quarter is the traditional consumer season for household appliances and property production,” Wu said ahead of the data release.