China growth doubts pare biggest weekly gain for copper since March

London

COPPER narrowed its biggest weekly gain since early March last week as Chinese data raised questions about the sustainability of the debt-fuelled expansion in the world's largest metals user.

The country's 6.7 per cent growth in the first quarter met economists' estimates and was in line with the government's growth target for the full year. Surging credit in March shifted concern back to the durability of the recovery. In the US, the second- largest user of the metal, manufacturing output unexpectedly declined in March by the most since February 2015.