Copper firm on Chinese export data

LONDON, Dec 7 (Reuters): Copper prices rose in London on Thursday, halting a three-session run of declines, helped by strong Chinese export data and a weaker dollar, though other factors capped gains.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) edged up by 0.3 per cent to $8,311 a tonne by 1118 GMT.
Copper, used in power and construction, is down 0.7 per cent this year owing to a patchy post-pandemic recovery of top metals consumer China, concern over economic growth elsewhere and high interest rates.
China's November exports grew for the first time in six months, data showed on Thursday.
"That is giving the market confidence that the stimulus strategy in China is starting to work," said WisdomTree's Nitesh Shah.
A weakening of the US currency on Thursday provided some support for dollar-priced copper, making it more attractive for buyers using other currencies.
The focus now turns to US payrolls data on Friday, which could provide signs of the Federal Reserve's next move on interest rates.