(Reuters) - London copper prices fell on Tuesday, weighed by a firm dollar and fear of softening demand amid disappointing data from the United States.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange fell 1.8% to $7,292 a tonne by 0144 GMT, aluminium declined 0.7% to $2,409 a tonne, zinc dropped 1.4% to $2,965.50 a tonne and lead shed 1% to $1,979 a tonne.
The dollar hovered just below its two-decade high, making greenback-priced metals pricier to holders of other currencies.
Weak demand from top metals consumer China due to COVID-19 outbreaks and fear of a looming global recession also weighed on prices.
U.S. home builder sentiment plummeted in July to its lowest level since the early months of the pandemic, as high inflation and the steepest borrowing costs in more than a decade brought customer traffic to a near standstill.
At the same time, a gauge of activity in the services sector activity in the U.S. Northeast turned negative this month for the first time in a year, and firms there do not see an improvement over the next six months.
The most-traded August copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange rose 1.5% to 56,160 yuan ($8,322.71) a tonne, tracking overnight gain in London when the market enjoyed a brief relief from the Chinese property market.
ShFE nickel jumped 4.4% to 149,600 yuan a tonne, aluminium advanced 2.2% to 17,990 yuan a tonne, lead increased 1.3% to 15,150 yuan a tonne and zinc was up 0.9% at 22,580 yuan a tonne.