Producers of metals and other raw materials slid amid news out of China and as the Federal Reserve signaled plans to raise interest rates by late 2023.
China said it would begin to sell major industrial metals from state stockpiles, an effort to squelch factory-gate price increases that have hit a 13-year high and are stoking fears of global inflation. As the world's biggest buyer of a range of industrial commodities, China is using its market heft to try to quell the sharp rise in global metal prices over the past 12 months, including a 67% surge in copper, a bellwether for macroeconomic health.
Meanwhile, China's economic growth moderated in May as flattering comparisons to the pandemic-hit economic figures early last year tapered off and Chinese consumers continued to keep a close eye on their pocketbooks. Data showed that factory output, a key growth pillar in China's pandemic recovery for more than a year, remained resilient last month, but investment and domestic consumption fell short of expectations despite a boost from a long holiday, weighed down by a fresh wave of Covid-19 infections.
Write to Amy Pessetto at amy.pessetto@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
06-16-21 1656ET
