Copper futures settled down on Friday on China demand growth fears after the International Monetary Fund said that China's economic decline is likely to continue over the next four years. In a report released on Friday, the International Monetary Fund has forecasted that the country’s economic growth would slow to 4.6% this year and decline further in the medium to about 3.5% in 2028. However, some losses were capped by declining exchange inventories of copper.
Copper futures for March delivery fell $0.0320 to settle at $3.8215 a pound on the Comex metals division of New York Mercantile Exchange. Copper on the London Metal Exchange was down by 0.62 percent at $8,482 a ton.