Copper prices fell on Friday as Chinese demand remained weak.
Copper for May delivery hit $3.96 a pound ($8,712 a metric ton) on Comex in New York, down 2.2% from Thursday's close.
In China, copper inventories continued to build - albeit at a slower pace than in recent weeks - and the import premium fell again, suggesting sluggish demand.
"The frustration for these investors is that they put their money into copper and the fundamentals haven't really changed that much," said Tom Price, strategist at Liberum.
The dollar also hit a seven-week high, making metals more expensive for buyers holding other currencies.
The premium Yangshan pays to import copper into China has plummeted to $22.50 a tonne from $144.50 in early November.
"That means (Chinese) copper consumers are waiting for prices to come down before they start buying again," Price said.
He said fundamentals support prices around $7,000 a ton, but copper may not go that low.
