MUMBAI, Sept 23 (Reuters) - India copper futures traded slightly lower on Wednesday on weak demand outlook from China, analysts said. The most-traded November contract MCCX9 was 1.81 percent lower at 298.60 rupees per kg at 3:56 p.m., after gaining 1.1 percent in the previous session. China's apparent copper demand fell 13.9 percent in August from July, following a slide in imports by the world's top consumer of many base metals. [ID:nSP505960] The price of the red metal has more than doubled since the start of the calendar year, when Chinese stockpiling, and demand hopes on easing economic recession supported copper. "Demand would continue to remain weak and weigh on prices," said Praveen Singh, an analyst with Sharekhan Commodities. Rising inventories would also weigh on prices, they added. Copper stocks in the warehouses monitored by the London Metal Exchange rose 175 tonnes to 331,950 tonnes on Wednesday. China may hold nearly 1.2 million tonnes of refined copper stocks, about 80 days of consumption, an analyst at a state-backed research group estimated. [ID:nHKG326569] "Selling is recommended at 301/302, with a stop loss of 290/291 rupees, with a target of 290/291 rupees," said Singh. "Copper may test 292 in a couple of sessions," said Navneet Damani, an analyst with Anand Rathi Commodities. In other base metals, zinc for September delivery MZIU9 was 0.65 percent lower at 91.15 rupees per kg, while lead for September delivery MLDU9 was 2.52 percent lower at 106.50 rupees per kg. (Reporting by Siddesh Mayenkar; Editing by Sunil Nair)

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