HANOI, April 13 (Reuters) - Copper prices fell on Tuesday, as increasing inventories in global exchanges signalled a weaker-than-expected demand pickup in top consumer China in its traditionally strong season.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange fell 0.2% to $8,841.50 a tonne by 0126 GMT, while the most-traded May copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange declined 0.5% to 65,750 yuan ($10,046.91) a tonne.
Inventories in LME-approved warehouses
Yangshan copper premium
FUNDAMENTALS
* LME aluminium rose 0.2% to $2,265.50 a tonne, zinc advanced 0.2% to $2,762 a tonne, while tin fell 0.1% to $25,535 a tonne.
* ShFE nickel dropped 2.2% to 121,810 yuan a tonne, tracking overnight loss in London after Russia's Nornickel said it would fully restart operations this month at a major mine hit by flooding, earlier than expected.
* ShFE aluminium increased 0.1% to 17,430 yuan a tonne, zinc fell 1.9% to 21,335 yuan a tonne, while tin was down 1.2% to 176,800 yuan a tonne.
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MARKETS NEWS
* Asia share markets were cautious after U.S. markets weakened as investors anticipated the start of corporate earnings seasons and the release of key inflation data to indicate how the global recovery from the pandemic will emerge.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
0600 UK GDP Est 3M/3/M Feb
0600 UK GDP Estimate MM, YY Feb
0830 UK Manufacturing Output MM Feb
0900 Germany ZEW Economic Sentiment April
0900 Germany ZEW Current Conditions April
1230 US CPI MM, SA March
N/A China Exports, Imports YY March
N/A China Trade Balance March
($1 = 6.5443 yuan) (Reporting by Mai Nguyen; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)