News: RIO METALS-London copper shrugs off firmer dollar as China demand supports

MELBOURNE, Dec 4 (Reuters) - London copper held its ground on Monday, defying a stronger dollar to find support from resilient manufacturing demand in top consumer China.

FUNDAMENTALS

• COPPER: London Metal Exchange CMCU3 copper edged up by 0.1 percent to $6,841 a tonne by 0228 GMT, adding to 1.1 percent gains from the previous session. Prices last week fell by 2.4 percent trimming copper's advance for the year to 23 percent, still its largest advance since 2010.
• SHFE: Shanghai Futures Exchange copper SCFcv1 rose by 1 percent to 53,360 yuan ($8,066) a tonne.
• CHINA ECONOMY: China's manufacturing activity remained in expansion mode but grew at the weakest pace in five months in November as input costs remained high and tougher pollution measures weighed on business confidence.
• RIO TINTO: Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO) ended months of speculation on Monday, naming Simon Thompson as its next chairman to succeed Jan du Plessis, who will step down after serving almost nine years as chair of the Anglo-Australian mining house.
• CHINA: Rio also pointed to a possible slowing in China over the next six months, with a weakening in construction, infrastructure and automotive demand growth, but said it remains optimistic about China in the medium to long term.
• ADANI: Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) 601398.SS, <1398.HK> said on Sunday it has no intention of financing a controversial A$16.5 billion ($12.5 billion) Australian coal mine being built by Indian conglomerate Adani Enterprises ADEL.NS.
• CHINA ALUMINIUM: China's central Shanxi province has introduced new rules curbing water use for steel, cement and aluminium production, state media reported on Sunday, in another blow to sectors reeling from government-enforced output cuts.
• INVESTORS: Hedge funds and money managers raised their net long positions in COMEX gold and copper contracts in the week to Nov. 28, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data showed on Friday.
• In other metals, LME aluminium, CMAL3, zinc CMZN3and lead CMPB3 all slipped around half a percent, paring strong advances on Friday.
• For the top stories in metals and other news, click [TOP/MTL] or [MET/L]

  MARKETS NEWS

• The U.S. dollar bounced to a two-week top on Monday as traders celebrated the passage of a Senate tax bill over the weekend, while stronger U.S. stock futures pointed to a merry start for Asian shares. [MKTS/GLOB]

  DATA AHEAD (GMT) 0930 Euro zone Sentix index Dec 1000 Euro zone Producer prices Oct 1445 U.S. ISM-New York index Nov 1500 U.S. Factory orders Oct PRICES

BASE METALS PRICES 0245 gmt

 Three month LME copper		CMCU3		   6840 
 Most active ShFE copper	   SCFcv1		 53370 
 Three month LME aluminium	 CMAL3		   2065 
 Most active ShFE aluminium	SAFcv1		 14495 
 Three month LME zinc		  CMZN3		   3227 
 Most active ShFE zinc		 SZNcv1		 25605 
 Three month LME lead		  CMPB3		 2536.5 
 Most active ShFE lead		 SPBcv1		 19070 
 Three month LME nickel		CMNI3		  11340 
 Most active ShFE nickel	   SNIcv1		 91720 
 Three month LME tin		   CMSN3			  0 
 Most active ShFE tin		  SSNcv1		141330 
													  
 BASE METALS ARBITRAGE								

 LME/SHFE COPPER			   LMESHFCUc3	  595.49 
 LME/SHFE ALUMINIUM			LMESHFALc3	 -1289.1 
													3 
 LME/SHFE ZINC				 LMESHFZNc3	  243.84 
 LME/SHFE LEAD				 LMESHFPBc3	 -1147.7 
 LME/SHFE NICKEL			   LMESHFNIc3	 2752.71 
	LMESHFNIc3 

($1 = 6.6151 Chinese yuan renminbi)

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