The China Copper Demand Index in April 2019 stood at 89 points, a drop of 29 points month-on-month. In April, the index stayed below the "gloomy" demarcation (95.7 points), indicating a gloomy demand for copper in China in the month.
Figure 1 China Copper Demand Indexes for Jan 2017-April 2019
Data: China's National Bureau of Statistics and General Administration of Customs
A major contributor to the sluggish copper demand in China in April was statistical pattern. Among the 52 macro and copper end-use section indicators under the umbrella of this index after seasonal adjustments. The new capacity of power generating facilities: the wind power facility installations, the transformer output, and the sales value of heat pump water heaters among other indicators all recorded double-digit declines. Besides, 37% of indicators for April this year posted positive growth, against the 42% in the same period last year. The simultaneous declines, to varied degrees, in China's copper end-use indicators and macro indicators in April were major causes of the "gloomy" prosperity index in the month.