Copper declines

Beijing : London Metal Exchange copper prices were lower for a third day in early Asian trade, as the prospect of an all-out Sino-U.S. trade war continued to outweigh a looming strike at the world´s largest copper mine.

LME copper is on course for a drop of 3 percent this week, despite the risk of imminent supply disruption at BHP´s Escondida mine in Chile, which would mark its steepest weekly fall since the week ended July 6. Three-month copper on the LME slipped 0.4 percent to $6,114.50 a tonne by 0200 GMT, extending a 0.5 percent drop in the previous session.

The most-traded September copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange edged up 0.1 percent to 49,250 yuan ($7,169.48) a tonne.

The union at BHP Billiton´s Escondida mine in Chile told the company on Thursday that it should improve its contract offer by August 6 or it would begin preparations for a strike.