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Many base metals decrease with firmer dollar, supply outlook in focus

Prices of the majority of base metals slipped on Wednesday as a firmer U.S. dollar made the greenbackpriced commodity more costly for purchasers, while investors assessed supply outlook for metals.

Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was down 1.1% at $9,917 per metric heap, since 0135 GMT, reversing previous gains that pushed the contract to an almost two-year high.

The most-traded June copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange was down 1.5% to 79,890 yuan ($ 11,062.49) a. heap.

The dollar was back on the front foot on Wednesday,. making modest gains after earlier losses from renewed bets on. Federal Reserve rate cuts this year, while the yen relieved towards. the 155-per-dollar level and kept intervention dangers from Tokyo. high.

Supply outlook for metals was also on investors' radar, as. raw material shortages of copper have actually been a key driver behind. the current rally.

Mining huge Freeport-McMoRan is preparing to ship. as much as 900,000 lots of copper concentrate starting in June. from its Grasberg mine after favorable talks with Indonesia to. extend its export licence, reported on Tuesday.

LME nickel fell 2.2% to $18,840 a heap, tin. shed 1.6% to $32,075, aluminium slipped 0.9% to. $ 2,546.50, and lead moved 0.5% lower to $2,232.50, zinc. lost 1.4% to 2,917.50.

SHFE zinc was down 0.6% at 23,195 yuan a lot, tin. slid 1.4% to 259,470 yuan, aluminium fell 1.5%. to 20,400 yuan, nickel lost 2.4% to 141,810 yuan, while. lead increased 0.8% at 17,835 yuan,.

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DATA/EVENTS (GMT)

0600 Germany March Industrial Output

1200 Brazil March Retail Sales

2350 Japan Bank of Japan to launch summary

of opinions from board members at its

April 25-26 policy meeting

(source: Reuters)