Most futures tumble as well

Seventeen of the 19 commodity futures contracts traded on the mainland's three exchanges fell sharply yesterday in tandem with the worldwide market slump in the wake of growing concern about a US-led economic downturn.

The copper and zinc futures for delivery in 12 different months on Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) dropped to the daily allowable limits shortly after the opening.

The most actively traded copper contracts for delivery in April plummeted to 58,560 yuan per ton, down 4.02 percent before touching the bottom.