The most-traded copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange slipped 0.15 percent to 45,500 yuan ($6,547) a tonne on Friday as profit-taking set in after previous gains. In other metals trading, aluminium and zinc stood 1 percent higher on Friday, while tin rose 0.14 percent and nickel was flat. ShFE aluminium was up 1.9 percent. Zinc was 0.29 percent higher. Nickel dropped 0.38 percent, while tin traded 0.01 percent up.

Traders were expecting only modest volumes in both London Metal Exchange and Shanghai futures Exchange activity on the final trading day of 2016. "Today will be more about book-squaring and positioning for next week," a trader in Sydney said.

Copyright Reuters, 2016