(Updates with official prices) By Polina Devitt LONDON, Sept 30 (Reuters) – Copper slipped on Tuesday as the onset of a week-long holiday in top metals consumer China coincided with the end of the third quarter, prompting profit-taking after prices hit their 15-month high last week. Benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange fell 0.8% to $10,331 a metric ton in official open-outcry trading. The metal, used in power and construction, is on track to close the third quarter with 5% growth as many analysts lowered their 2025 and 2026 market supply estimates after this month's disruption at the Grasberg mine in Indonesia. The prospect of lower supply from Grasberg saw the copper price hitting a 15-month high of $10,485 on Thursday and reduced the discount of the LME cash prices against the three-month copper contract to $26 a ton from $73 a week ago. In China, the Yangshan copper premium , which reflects demand for copper imported into the country, fell 6% to $50 a ton, its six-week low, ahead of the October 1-8 National Day holidays, which usually reduce overall trading activity. Data showing that China's manufacturing activity shrank for a sixth month in September further affected the market sentiment. "Looming U.S. government shutdown is another factor making the market a bit nervous and preventing it from benefiting from the dollar's weakening trend, which should normally support metals prices," said Dan Smith, managing director of Commodity Market Analytics. Among other LME metals, tin lost 0.6% to $35,295 a ton in official activity as the Indonesia Tin Exporters Association said that a crackdown on illegal mining activities on tin hub Bangka island would not disrupt shipments from the region. This order saw tin hitting $35,510, its highest since April 4, on Monday. The association expects Indonesia's refined tin exports to rise 18% to 53,000 tons this year. Lead gained 0.4% to $2,002 after data showed that lead inventories in warehouses monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell 15% from Friday to their lowest level since February. LME aluminium fell 0.1% to $2,677 a ton, zinc added 0.3% to $2,950.5, and nickel lost 0.4% to $15,265. (Reporting by Polina Devitt; Editing by Leroy Leo)
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