Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange edged lower during morning trading on Thursday April 4, hindered by poor risk appetite among European investors while a slump in German industrial production continues to indicate economic uncertainty.
Over the March period, German industrial orders fell by 4.2% which is the sharpest fall since January 2017. Concerns over the health of the German economy continue to take center stage amid ongoing uncertainty over the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union - with the UK now scheduled to leave the EU on April 12 - while Germany's automotive sector continues to bear the brunt of the economic downturn. The most recent purchasing managers' index (PMI) for German manufacturing is down to 44.1, an 80-month low. In the base metals complex, after surging to a...