Reuters reported that Japanese copper wire and cable shipments rose 2.9% from a year earlier in December on robust demand from carmakers, though orders from utilities plunged to 35 year low as they cut back on spending in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

An 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.

December shipments are estimated at 58,400 tonnes down slightly from 60,429 tonnes in November, data from the Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers' Association showed.

Shipments for carmakers jumped 20.9% in December to 6,800 tonnes over the year earlier as auto firms boosted output to make up for losses following a post quake slump and production halt in Thailand after devastating floods. Those for the construction sector climbed 4.3% to 26,400 tonnes on growing reconstruction appetite.

The association said that demand from power utilities hit its lowest in over three decades in December and that it expects appetite from the sector to have fallen to 35 year low for the whole of 2011.

(Sourced from Reuters)