METALS-Copper rises after steady China growth data

  (Recasts throughout)
    By Mai Nguyen
    SINGAPORE, April 17 (Reuters) - Copper and other base metals
in London rose on Wednesday after China released data that
shown its economy grew at a steady pace in the first quarter.
    China's economy grew at 6.4 percent pace in the first
quarter of a year earlier, defying expectations for a further
slowdown, industrial production jumped sharply and consumer
demand showed signs of improvement.
    Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange
jumped after China released data around 0200 GMT. It retreated
it was still up 0.3 percent at 6,511 a ton
at 0517 GMT. Shanghai copper edged up 0.2 percent.
    China's Wednesday data also showed a pick-up in fixed-badet
investment, supply, while supply
could be tight this year due to a global delay in copper mines
expansion, said Victor You, an badyst at CLSA in Hong Kong.
    Fixed-badet investment expanded 6.3 percent in
January-to-March from a year earlier, in line with estimates
picking up from the previous period.
    FUNDAMENTALS
    * ALUMINUM: Shanghai aluminum climbed to as high
as 13,980 yuan ($ 2,085.51) a ton, its highest intra-day level
since Dec. 3, 2018, after China's National Bureau of Statistics
(NBS) released data showing daily aluminum output in March fell
3.6 percent from January and February.
    The world's top aluminum-producing country churned out 2.88
million tons of primary metal in March, which works out at
around 92,900 tons per day, its lowest rate since October,
according to Reuters calculations.
    But you said many people do not look at the aluminum NBS
data due to its inconsistency with other estimates by the
industry.
    * ZINC: Shanghai zinc slipped to as low as 21,715
yuan a ton, its lowest in three weeks
London zinc in the previous session after big zinc stocks flowed
into the London Metal Exchange (LME) warehouses.
    The contract in Shanghai was down 1.8 percent at 21.830
yuan a ton, while the zinc benchmark in London
rebounded 0.2 percent.
    * AUSTRALIA RAILWAY: A railway that carries zinc from major
producers such as Glencore, MMG Ltd and South
32 across Australia's Outback is expected to reopen
this month after it was damaged in floods.
    * For the top stories in metals and other news, click
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    PRICES
    Three month LME copper
    Most active ShFE copper
    Three month LME aluminum
    Most active ShFE aluminum
    Three month LME zinc
    Most active ShFE zinc
    Three month LME lead
    Most active ShFE lead
    Three month LME nickel
    Most active ShFE nickel
    Three month LME tin
    Most active ShFE tin
    
    ARBS
                
                
                
                
                

($ 1 = 6.7034 Chinese yuan renminbi)

    
 (Reporting by Mai Nguyen, Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Editing
Shreejay Sinha)