By Anna Stablum Oct. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Copper may decline in London on speculation demand will rebound more slowly than expected in the U.S., a survey showed. Ten of 19 analysts, investors and traders surveyed by Bloomberg, or 53 percent, said the metal would fall next week. Nine predicted higher prices. U.S. housing starts in September were below the median estimate of analysts in a Bloomberg survey, data showed on Oct. 21. On the following day, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s index of applications to purchase a home or refinance a loan declined for a second week as borrowing costs climbed. The country is the world’s second-biggest copper consumer. Builders are the largest users of the metal in the U.S., installing about 440 pounds of copper pipes and wires in the average single-family home, according to the Copper Development Association. Copper for three-month delivery was up 5.8 percent this week at $6,591 a metric ton at 5 p.m. yesterday on the London Metal Exchange. The weekly copper survey has forecast prices accurately in 30 of the past 60 weeks, or 50 percent of the time. This week’s survey results: Bullish: 9 Bearish: 10 To contact the reporter on this story: Anna Stablum in London at astablum@bloomberg.net

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