MELBOURNE, Oct 1 (Reuters) – London metal prices eased on Monday amid evidence that the Sino-U.S. trade dispute impacted China’s manufacturing activity last month and as a week-long holiday got underway in the country. Growth in China’s manufacturing sector sputtered in September as both external and domestic demand weakened, two surveys showed on Sunday, raising the pressure on policymakers as U.S. tariffs appear to be inflicting a heavier toll on the Chinese economy. A private survey showed growth in the factory sector stalled after 15 months of expansion, with export orders falling the fastest in over two years, while an official survey confirmed a further manufacturing weakening. FUNDAMENTALS:
* London Metal Exchange copper had eased 0.3 percent to $6,242 a tonne by 0219 GMT, following a gain of 1.2 percent on Friday. Copper prices climbed 4.7 percent in September, the largest monthly gain in a year when prices have dropped a total of nearly 14 percent.
* The Shanghai Futures Exchange is closed this week.
* China has cancelled a security meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis that had been planned for October, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday, days after a top Chinese official said there was no reason to panic over tensions between the countries.
* ZAMBIA: Zambia plans to trim its fiscal deficit to 6.5 percent of GDP in 2019 from 7.4 percent this year, its finance minister on Friday. The African nation is a major copper producer.
* ZINC: LME zinc slipped 0.8 percent to $2,591.50 after prices surged by 4.2 percent on Friday following a large draw in China’s exchange inventories
* ZINC: Operations at Trevali Mining Corp’s Santander zinc mine in Peru have fully resumed after a road blockade suspended delivery of supplies this week, the company said on Friday.
* ALUMINA: Unionised workers at aluminium producer Alcoa’s Western Australian operations on Friday agreed to end a strike that lasted more than six weeks after securing better job security provisions in a new wage agreement.
