Sept 17 (Reuters) - Copper prices rose on Friday after the United States reported better-than-expected retail sales, which could temper expectations of a slowdown in economic growth in the world's largest economy.
Copper is also used as a gauge of global economic health.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange rose 0.7% to $9,429 a tonne by 0318 GMT, while the most-traded October copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange eased 0.8% to 69,640 yuan ($10,788.37) a tonne.
FUNDAMENTALS
* LME aluminium rose 0.3% to $2,888.50 a tonne, lead advanced 0.8% to $2,227 a tonne and zinc was up 0.4% at $3,093 a tonne.
* ShFE nickel fell 1.5% to 145,110 yuan a tonne, zinc advanced 1.1% to 22,860 yuan a tonne, tin increased 1.1% to 261,480 yuan a tonne and aluminium edged up 0.1% to 22,700 yuan a tonne.
* A Japanese aluminium buyer has agreed to pay a global producer a premium of $220 per tonne over the benchmark price for shipments in October to December, up 19% from the current quarter to reflect higher overseas premiums, two sources said.
* Yunnan Aluminium, a unit of China's state-run metals group Chinalco, has cut its 2021 aluminium output target by over 500,000 tonnes, or almost 18%, after local government moved to keep limits on production for the rest of the year.
* For the top stories in metals and other news, click or
MARKETS NEWS
* Asian shares steadied in early trading after losses earlier in the week, but China jitters and global growth concerns weighed on investors' minds, while the dollar sat near a three-week high.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
0600 UK Retail Sales MM, YY Aug
0600 UK Retail Sales Ex-Fuel MM Aug
0900 EU HICP Final MM, YY Aug
1400 US U Mich Sentiment Prelim Sept
($1 = 6.4551 yuan) (Reporting by Mai Nguyen in Hanoi; editing by Uttaresh.V)