(Updates prices, adds quotes)<\/p>\n
Oct 5 (Reuters) – London copper prices fell on Tuesday as dollar gained strength, amid tepid trade as markets in top consumer China were closed for a public holiday.<\/p>\n
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange shed 0.9% to $9,167 a tonne by 0616 GMT, aluminium fell 0.3% to $2,908 a tonne, nickel eased 0.2% to $17,890 a tonne and zinc advanced 0.2% to $3,022 a tonne.<\/p>\n
The U.S. dollar edged toward a one-year high against major peers, making greenback-priced metals more expensive to holders of other currencies, ahead of a key payrolls report at the end of the week that could boost the case for the Federal Reserve to start tapering stimulus as soon as next month.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout the crude (oil) story, we should have drifted lower on strong U.S. dollar and more dominos falling in China. It\u2019s a drift lower with spikes higher when China eases Evergrande uncertainty issues,\u201d said a Singapore-based metals trader.<\/p>\n
Crude oil prices rose on supply concerns. The trader said higher crude oil prices might deter some metal makers from producing due to higher cost.<\/p>\n
Debt issues at property giant China Evergrande have triggered risk-off sentiment on fear of a global financial crisis and potentially hurt metals demand in the construction sector.<\/p>\n
China is on holiday from Oct. 1-7.<\/p>\n
* Chile\u2019s top miners saw their production of copper fall in August, Chilean state copper commission Cochilco said on Monday, impacted in part by a strike at a mine owned by state miner Codelco.<\/p>\n
* Global copper smelting activity rebounded in September as higher treatment charges spurred many smelters to increase output, data from satellite surveillance showed on Monday.<\/p>\n
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