steel billet prices, copper prices, aluminium prices

Tin business was seen down to $24,650 per tonne when stops were triggered below $25,000 - the market had closed at $25,400 on Friday and has now fallen $8,950 or 27 percent from April's all-time highs of $33,600.

Bearish sentiment was compounded by rising inventories - up 155 tonnes at 22,230 tonnes, with the stockpile just 185 tonnes below its highest since April 2010.

Copper, which slipped back below the $9,000 on Friday, extended losses and flopped to $8,871, down $67 and near its lowest since May 25.

Warehouse stocks recorded a rare decrease, falling a net 2,175 tonnes from what were one-year highs to 475,750 tonnes. But cancelled warrants - the metal booked for removal - fell seven percent to 18,775 tonnes.

The supportive prop last week - industrial action at Chile's El Teniente mine - has also been removed, with operations normalised over the weekend, traders noted.

Aluminium business at $2,596 was down $25 and around the cheapest since May 27. Stocks declined for the 13th successive day - down 9,000 tonnes at 4,636,925 tonnes.

Elsewhere, lead eased to $2,505, a $40 loss. There was a 375-tonne fall in stocks to 321,825 tonnes but cancelled warrants fell 20 percent to 1,875 tonnes. Zinc slipped to $2,234, a $26 decline.

Nickel was trading at $22,350, a drop of $500, ignoring a 390-tonne stock fall, which reduced the total stockpile to 112,536 tonnes, a fresh low since August 2009.

Steel billet was quoted at a little-changed $550/557, while there was a 13-percent fall in stocks to 34,385 tonnes, the lowest since July 2010. The 5,200-tonne fall was all from Rotterdam.

In the minors, cobalt was quoted at a steady $35,000/38,000, with stocks falling five tonnes to 276 tonnes.

Molybdenum was stable at $35,000/37,500. Inventories were unchanged at 276 tonnes, but cancelled warrants jumped 36 tonnes to 42 tonnes - all in Rotterdam.

COPPER PRICES