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Mexican copper output fell to 18,465 tonnes in August, down 14.4% from the same month a year earlier, according to data from the National Statistics Institute on 30 October. The country's copper output has been hit by a more than two-year long strike at its largest mine, the Cananea mine owned by Grupo Mexico.

U.S. imports and exports of all brass mill products fell in August, according to data from the Copper and Brass Fabricators Council: imports fell 39.5% y/y to 33,722,170lbs (from 55,739,462lbs), exports fell 23.2% y/y to 16,794,773lbs (from 21,872,727lbs). Top export destination was Mexico (6,172,820lbs) while China topped imports (9,321,119 lbs). Imports/exports breakdown was: sheet, strip, plate and foil products 7,518,345lbs/ 5,916,108lbs; pipe and tube products 18,186,279lbs/5,446,636lbs; profiles, rods and bars 6,130,905lbs/3,538,226lbs; copper alloy wire 1,886,642lbs/1,893,802lbs.

Japan's output of rolled copper products rose 2.2% in August from July, according to preliminary data from the Japan Copper and Brass Association, fed by an increase in demand from the semiconductor and auto sectors. However the seasonally adjusted figure of 63,224 tonnes is still 21% down on August last year. The association also said it expects demand for the year to March 2010 to total 713,930 tonnes - down 11.5% y-o-y and the lowest since the year ended March 1976.

According to data released on September 11 by Chinese customs, China's imports of copper and copper products in August tumbled for a second consecutive month, falling to 325,098 tonnes which is 20% down from a month earlier. The extent of the fall has exceeded analyst's expectations. China's imports of scrap copper in August fell to 390,000 tonnes, from 448,258 tonnes in July.