Comex copper futures softened in the first trading day of the new year in the United States amid disappointing Chinese manufacturing results and persistent weakness in US stocks.
The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange declined 2.90 cents to $2.6020 per lb.Weaker than expected manufacturing data from China prompted the Asian markets to open trading in quiet fashion, spurring continued concerns over the health of the Chinese economy. China's Caixin manufacturing PMI for December stood at 49.7, down from 50.2 previously and missing an...