Copper and Zinc are good indicators of orders of material, and future orders, used in construction and fabrication.
I understand that (and I know what a bellwether is), but was there not a trend of most manufacturing concerns to move AWAY from Chinese-manufactured/produced metals because of the now well known shoddy quality of them?
I don't think that would depress the price...rather it would exacerbate a supposed shortage.
'Course, doesn't explain the small drop in the price of gold.
On the other hand, I still haven't figured out the reasoning behind the constant fluctuation of the price of gasoline as related to the price of oil, but...
An economist, I am not.