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Copper edges up in London on China's trade data, property assistance

Copper costs in London rose on Thursday, backed by China's improved trade data and property assistance measures, but gains were topped due to a more powerful dollar.

Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME). was up 0.2% at $9,924 per metric heap by 0429 GMT,. aluminium edged up 0.1% at $2,552, tin advanced. 0.8% to $32,265, while nickel was mostly flat at. $ 18,880.

LME zinc relieved 0.3% to $2,897.50 a load and lead. edged down 0.2% to $2,225.50.

The most-traded June copper agreement on the Shanghai Futures. Exchange (SHFE) alleviated 0.2% to 80,000 yuan ($ 11,074.35). a ton at the midday break, nickel fell 0.6% to 141,940. yuan and zinc edged down 0.2% at 23,265 yuan.

SHFE tin fell 0.2% to 260,340 yuan a load, while. aluminium increased 0.9% to 20,665 yuan, and lead. advanced 1.3% to 18,120 yuan.

China's imports and exports returned to growth in April. after contracting in the previous month, signalling an. encouraging improvement in demand at home and overseas in a. boost to an unstable economic healing.

That is among the factors ... we also have seen more. Chinese cities eliminating home purchase constraints, stated a. trader.

China's eastern metropolitan area of Hangzhou, among the country's. most successful cities, said it will lift all home purchase. limitations to support its realty market, raising the. possibility of other cities following suit.

The property market represent a large volume of metals. usage.

Metal costs are being influenced by ex-China. macroeconomics. Yesterday, the dollar also strengthened, the. trader added.

A firmer dollar makes greenback-priced metals more costly. to holders of other currencies.

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DATA/EVENTS (GMT)

1100 UK BOE Bank Rate April

1230 US Preliminary Jobless Claim Weekly

(source: Reuters)