LONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Copper prices edged higher on Wednesday on a softer dollar and as investors took a breather from bearish bets that have weighed on the market so far this year.

Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was up 0.2% at $8,384.50 per metric ton by 1025 GMT.

"Having fallen for eight out of the last nine sessions, the market is due for some kind of consolidation," said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank in Copenhagen.

LME copper had shed nearly 5% at its low on Tuesday since touching the highest in nearly five months on Dec. 28.

"As we approach the inflation print tomorrow, the dollar has given back some of its strength, so that's also adding some support," Hansen added.

The dollar index eased ahead of U.S. inflation data on Thursday, which Hansen said is expected to keep hopes alive for U.S. rate cuts later this year.

A weaker dollar makes it cheaper for non-dollar buyers to purchase the greenback-priced commodity.

Although end-users in China have slowed down copper consumption in January, a traditionally weak demand period, the premium to buy copper in the spot market remained high amid thin stocks, which could lend some support to futures prices, said analysts at Guotai Jun'an Futures.

The most-traded February copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange lost 0.5% to 67,810 yuan ($9,451.00) per ton as global economic headwinds weighed on metals prices.

The World Bank warned on Tuesday that global growth in 2024 is set to slow for a third year in a row, prolonging poverty and debilitating debt levels in many developing countries.

The World Bank also forecast China's economic growth to slow to 4.5% in 2024.

China will release its trade data on Friday, which investors are keenly awaiting to gauge prospects for demand in the world's biggest metals consumer.

LME aluminium dipped 0.3% to $2,242.50 a ton and nickel slipped 0.5% to $16,200, while zinc climbed 0.9% to $2,527, lead climbed 1.6% to $2,085 and tin added 0.1% to $24,255.

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($1 = 7.1749 Chinese yuan) (Reporting by Eric Onstad; Additional reporting by Siyi Liu in Beijing; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)