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London copper climbed on Monday as appetite for risk revived on hopes of progress in a trade dispute between the world's top two economies, which undermined safe-haven demand for the dollar.
Fundamentals
Copper: London Metal Exchange rose 0.9 per cent to $5980 a tonne by 0111 GMT, having closed on Friday down by 0.2 per cent. Shanghai Futures Exchange copper rose 0.9 per cent to 48,300 yuan ($7,026) a tonne.
Dollar : The dollar sagged on Monday as investor demand for the safe-haven currency receded on optimism over a reduction in US-China trade tensions, with the focus on discussions between the two countries due this week.
A weaker dollar boosts the demand for dollar-priced commodities by making them cheaper for buyers paying with other currencies. Reports suggested that China and Washington would hold lower level trade talks on August 21 and 22, just before $16 billion in new U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods take effect.
Chile's Antofagasta, one of the world's leading copper producers, expects copper prices to continue to be volatile due to global trade tensions, the head of the company was quoted in a local newspaper as saying on Sunday.
The union representing workers of Chilean copper mine Escondida had signed a new collective labour contract on Friday, ending the risk of a strike that could have paralysed the world's biggest copper mine, easing supply concerns.
Batteries : China's largest lithium battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd plans to begin producing in 2019 next-generation nickel-rich batteries, which are cheaper to make, have longer life spans, and cut the need for cobalt, according to an internal company presentation and a company source.
Hedge funds and money managers trimmed their net short position in copper futures and options, data from the U.S. commodity regulator showed on Friday.
Asian share markets crept cautiously higher on Monday as investors awaited developments on proposed Sino-US trade talks, while keeping a wary eye on the Chinese yuan and Turkish lira for any new signs of strain.
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