Japan Copper-Alloy Product Output Falls for Seventh Month

Japan’s output of copper and copper- alloy fabricated products, including sheets and tubes, slumped 12.1 percent in December from a year ago, falling for a seventh month as demand for exports slowed, an industry group said.

Production was 60,530 metric tons last month, compared with 68,859 tons a year ago, the Japan Copper & Brass Association said today, citing preliminary data. Output totaled 65,996 tons in November, down 10.3 percent from 73,612 tons a year ago.

Output fell 4.9 percent to 824,500 tons in calendar 2011 from a year earlier, the association said in a statement. In December, production for domestic consumption declined 8.2 percent to 52,038 tons, while output for exports plunged 30.3 percent to 8,492 tons, it said.

Copper for three-month delivery gained as much as 0.8 percent to $8,428.50 per ton, the highest level since Sept. 20, on the London Metal Exchange before trading at $8,375 at 5:07 p.m. Tokyo time.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jae Hur in Tokyo at jhur1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Richard Dobson at rdobson4@bloomberg.net