Copper Climbs to 17-Week High as China May Relax Credit Curbs

Copper rose to a 17-week high in New York on speculation China may ease credit controls as growth slows, potentially bolstering demand prospects in the world’s largest user of the metal.

China’s banking regulator is weighing a plan to relax capital requirements for lenders, delaying implementing the most stringent capital-adequacy ratios, four people with knowledge of the matter said. Copper imports into China reached a record high and fourth-quarter economic growth in the country topped economists’ estimates, figures showed this month.