By Anna Stablum Feb. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Copper fell for a third day in London after imports of the metal into China, the world’s biggest consumer, dropped for the first time in three months, fanning concern that demand may weaken. Inbound shipments of refined copper were 196,926 metric tons last month, the Beijing-based customs office said today. That’s 19 percent less than December, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Record Chinese imports in last year’s first half helped prices to double in 2009. “Imports have declined, but are still impressive given where the price is,” David Thurtell, an analyst at Citigroup Inc. in London, said by phone. Copper for three-month delivery slid $81, or 1.1 percent, to $7,051 a ton at 10:08 a.m. on the London Metal Exchange. Copper for May delivery dropped 0.9 percent to $3.207 a pound on the New York Mercantile Exchange’s Comex unit. All of the six main metals traded on the LME retreated, with lead sliding the most. “The market seems to be in a gloomy mood again, and copper seems to be expensive above $7,000 if there are worries about the sustainability of growth in the euro zone, Japan and the U.S.,” Thurtell said. Fewer Bookings Prices also dropped as bookings to remove copper from warehouses monitored by the LME declined for a second day, falling 13 percent to 14,000 tons, according to a daily exchange inventory report. Copper stockpiles slipped 0.3 percent to 552,675 tons. China has been running down stockpiles of copper in bonded warehouses, Macquarie Group Ltd. said this week. Traders store shipments in a bonded zone before paying duties. Aluminum for three-month delivery fell 0.8 percent to $2,110 a ton on the LME. Stockpiles slid 0.1 percent to 4.6 million tons. Canceled warrants jumped 2.7 percent to 304,400 tons, or 6.6 percent of total aluminum inventories, the highest since 2006. Zinc shed 1.8 percent to $2,180 a ton and nickel dropped 0.8 percent to $20,040 a ton. Lead fell 2.7 percent to $2,175 a ton and tin slid 1.4 percent to $16,590 a ton.

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