Investing.com - Copper prices declined on Thursday, as the Federal Reserve left open the possibility of a rate hike in December and amid persistent worries about future demand from top consumer China.
Copper for December delivery on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange shed 2.4 cents, or 0.99%, to trade at $2.339 a pound during morning hours in London. A day earlier, copper ended little changed.
The Fed left interest rates unchanged following a two-day policy meeting on Wednesday, as widely expected, but surprised the market with a hawkish statement, which included a direct reference to its next policy meeting.
The central bank's statement did not repeat that global risks would have a likely impact on the U.S. economy, as it warned at its last meeting in September.
Investors interpreted that omission as a hawkish signal in deciding when to raise short term rates.
The surprisingly hawkish tone sent the U.S. dollar soaring against a basket of major currencies to its highest level in more than two months.
A stronger dollar reduces demand for raw materials as an alternative investment and makes dollar-priced commodities more expensive for holders of other currencies.
Investors now looked ahead to key U.S. third-quarter growth data due at 8:30AM ET for further clues on the strength of the economy.
The report was expected to show that the economy expanded 1.6% in the three months ended September 30, slowing from growth of 3.9% in the second quarter, as a weaker global economy took its toll.
Market players have been trying to gauge when the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade after recent economic reports offered a mixed picture of the U.S. economy.
The timing of a Fed rate hike has been a constant source of debate in the markets in recent months. The U.S. central bank has one more scheduled policy meeting before the end of the year in mid-December.
In recent weeks, investors had push back expectations for a rate increase to March 2016 due to weakness in the global economy and its impact on U.S. growth prospects.
Copper prices have been under pressure recently as fears of a China-led global economic slowdown spooked traders and rattled sentiment.
China's economy grew 6.9% in the third quarter, according to data released earlier in the month, the first time since the global financial crisis that the Asian nation's gross domestic product has grown less than 7%.
The weak data prompted the People's Bank of China to cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point late last week, the latest in a series of measures aimed at stimulating economic activity and boosting growth.
It was the sixth rate cut over the past 12 months, fueling concerns that economic growth is weakening more than is currently expected.
The Asian nation is the world’s largest copper consumer, accounting for almost 40% of world consumption last year.
Elsewhere in metals trading, gold futures for December delivery tumbled $16.50, or 1.4%, to trade at $1,159.60 an ounce, after the Federal Reserve hinted at a possible rate hike in December.
Expectations of higher borrowing rates going forward is considered bearish for gold, as the precious metal struggles to compete with yield-bearing assets when rates are on the rise.