London copper slips as supply concerns ease

BEIJING, Dec 22 (Reuters) – London copper prices edged lower on Friday to reverse gains made the session before, with wage agreements at mines in Chile easing concerns about disruptions to supply from the world’s top producer of the metal. FUNDAMENTALS * LME COPPER: Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) had slipped 0.5 percent to $7,050.50 a tonne by 0217 GMT. It gained 0.6 percent in Thursday’s session, during which it touched its highest in nearly two months. * SHFE COPPER: The most-traded February copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) was flat at 54,260 yuan ($8,248.96) a tonne. * ALUMINIUM: LME aluminium was down 0.4 percent at $2,139 a tonne on end-of-year profit-taking after a week-long rally triggered by lower production in China. ShFE aluminium was down 0.2 percent. * TECK: Canadian miner Teck Resources and the union representing 105 workers at its Quebrada Blanca copper mine in Chile said on Thursday they had reached a new wage agreement, ending an eight-day strike. * ANTOFAGASTA: Chilean miner Antofagasta Plc said on Wednesday it had reached a new wage agreement with unionized workers at its Centinela mine, defusing the risk of a strike amid a volatile labour landscape. * ALASKA: The would-be developer of the widely opposed Pebble Mine copper and gold project in salmon-rich southwestern Alaska announced on Thursday it will file its first application for a permit. * AFRICA: With some mining companies increasingly reluctant to own outright the infrastructure that keeps their projects going, an African development institution is linking up with investment funds to help fill the gap. * STAINLESS: Global production of stainless steel rose 7.4 percent in the first nine months of the year versus the same period a year ago, with China driving the gains, according to the International Stainless Steel Forum. * UNITED STATES: U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Thursday launched an effort to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign supplies of critical minerals used in smartphones, computers and military equipment, which he said poses a national security and economic risk. * COLUMN: Blue skies, green cars and a year of revolution for industrial metals: Andy Home. * For the top stories in metals and other news, click or MARKETS NEWS * Asian stocks edged up on Friday on new data pointing to steady growth in the U.S. economy, while the euro slipped after a vote in Catalonia favoured separatists wanting to break away from Spain. DATA AHEAD (GMT) 0930 U.K. GDP Q3 PRICES BASE METALS PRICES 0217 GMT Three month LME copper 7050.50 Most active ShFE copper 54260 Three month LME aluminium 2139 Most active ShFE aluminium 14655 Three month LME zinc 3227 Most active ShFE zinc 25460 Three month LME lead 2495 Most active ShFE lead 19035 Three month LME nickel 12000 Most active ShFE nickel 95550 Three month LME tin 19375 Most active ShFE tin 137540 BASE METALS ARBITRAGE LME/SHFE COPPER LMESHFCUc3 193.66 LME/SHFE ALUMINIUM LMESHFALc3 -1675.33 LME/SHFE ZINC LMESHFZNc3 327.75 LME/SHFE LEAD LMESHFPBc3 -846.47 LME/SHFE NICKEL LMESHFNIc3 2024.31 ($1 = 6.5778 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Tom Daly; Editing by Joseph Radford)