By Jae Hur
Nov. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Platinum dropped for a second day on investors' concern that a global economic slowdown will cut demand for the metal used in jewelry and autocatalysts.
Japan's exports declined the most in six years in October, with automobile shipments down 15 percent, according to data today from the Finance Ministry. Asian stocks fell, extending a global rout, as U.S. consumer prices dropped by a record.
``Declining stocks markets have greatly undermined platinum and industrial metals, which were already hit hard by production cutbacks by major automakers,'' said Hiroaki Hama, an analyst at Mizuho Corporate Bank Ltd. in Tokyo.
Immediate-delivery platinum lost as much as 2.3 percent to $799 an ounce and was at $801.50 at 10:44 a.m. Tokyo time, extending yesterday's 2.2 percent drop. Palladium for immediate delivery gained 0.4 percent to $184.25 an ounce.
Nissan Motor Co. has said that second-half profit will fall to ``zero'' as a recession pushes U.S. vehicle sales to the lowest annual tally in 15 years. Toyota Motor Corp. is deepening production cuts.
Spot platinum prices have slumped 47 percent this year as sales at automakers, the biggest users of the metal, plummeted amid rising unemployment and tighter consumer lending. Platinum reached a record $2,301.50 an ounce in March.
Automakers account for more than 60 percent of global platinum consumption, according to estimates by Johnson Matthey Plc, a London-based metals refiner, trader and researcher.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell as much as 2.6 percent to 77.16 and was at 77.27, dropping for a fourth day and heading for a 6.7 percent decline this week.
October-delivery platinum fell as much as 7.2 percent to 2,450 yen a gram ($796 an ounce) on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange and was at 2,453 yen at 10:45 a.m. local time.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jae Hur in Singapore at jhur1@bloomberg.net
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