BHP Billiton, the world's biggest mining company, dropped 15.5...

BHP Billiton, the world's biggest mining company, dropped 15.5 pence, or 2.6 percent, to 579.5 pence. Anglo American Plc, the No. 2, lost 29 pence, or 2.3 percent, to 1,259 pence. Antofagasta, which mines for copper in Chile, shed 15 pence, or 1.3 percent, to 1,103 pence.

China imported 34 percent less copper in October than a year earlier as the government released stockpiles and relatively low domestic prices discouraged buying from abroad. Imports fell to 76,966 metric tons, the lowest single-month figure this year, the customs office said.