Japanese copper wire and cable shipments fell 0.4% in November from a year earlier to an estimated 60,400 tonnes, marking the second-lowest level for that month in the past 35 years.

Japan industry body said that Japan's appetite for copper, often seen as a gauge of economic activity and already weak in the wake of the global financial crisis, took a fresh beating after the March earthquake prompted user industries to reduce domestic production.

(Sourced from Reuters)