NEW DELHI, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Copper prices inched up on Friday tracking a weaker U.S. dollar, although demand concerns in top metals consumer China kept gains in check.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) was up 0.1% at $8,225.50 a metric ton by 0209 GMT.
Meanwhile, the most-traded December copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) edged down 0.3% to 67,610 yuan ($9,331.57) a ton.
The dollar was on track for weekly losses as a slew of weaker-than-expected U.S. economic data released this week, led by a slowdown in inflation, has reinforced market expectations that the Fed has reached the end of its aggressive monetary tightening cycle.
A weaker greenback makes dollar-priced commodities less expensive for holders of other currencies.
However, worries about demand in China, which accounts for nearly half of global copper consumption, were reinforced by new home prices falling for a fourth month in October.
"Increasing China's refined copper domestic production is another drag for the market," ANZ Research said in a note.
LME aluminium edged up 0.2% to $2,212 a ton, nickel gained 0.1% to $17,040, zinc eased 0.1% to $2,573.50, lead decreased 1% to $2,262 and tin shed 0.4% to $25,105.
SHFE aluminium eased 0.8% to 18,805 yuan a ton, nickel was down 2.5% at 135,480 yuan, zinc declined 1.8% to 21,390 yuan, while lead gained 1.2% to 16,915 yuan and tin edged down 0.6% to 212,550 yuan.
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DATA/EVENTS (GMT) 0700 UK Retail Sales MM Oct 0700 UK Retail Sales Ex-Fuel MM Oct 0700 UK Retail Sales YY Oct 1000 EU HICP Final MM Oct 1000 EU HICP Final YY Oct 1330 US Housing Starts Number Oct 1315 Bank of England interest-rate setter Megan Greene speaks in a panel discussion about the outlook for monetary policy 0830 Keynote speech by ECB President Christine Lagarde at the 33rd Frankfurt European Banking Congress ($1 = 7.2453 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Neha Arora in New Delhi; Editing by Rashmi Aich)