* LME Week analysts upbeat, consumers cite no demand
* LME copper stocks continue to rise
(Adds comment/details, changes dateline from Shanghai)
LONDON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Copper was little changed on Thursday, pausing to consolidate its gains but with sentiment remaining upbeat as expectations of economic recovery overshadowed worries over weak demand.
Copper for three-months delivery on the London Metal Exchange traded at $6,216 a tonne at 0932 GMT from a close of $6,220 on Wednesday, when it surged nearly 2 percent.
"There is still sluggish demand but that's not going to last forever," said Peter Fertig, analyst at Quantitative Commodity Research.
"The housing market in the U.S. has stabilised, we've seen stabilisation of economic activity in Europe and stronger growth in Asian emerging markets. These are all positive factors which eventually lead to rising demand."
Strong earnings numbers from top U.S. firms like Intel and JPMorgan lifted the Dow Jones Industrial average above 10,000 on Wednesday and contributed to optimism that the global economy will recover.
Copper was also underpinned by data out on Wednesday showing a surprise 23 percent rise in Chinese imports of unwrought copper and semi-finished products in September.
"The strong demand for commodity imports reflects resilience in construction and industrial production activities domestically," RBC Capital Markets said in a note.
Copper has roughly doubled in price this year, mostly due to Chinese import buying, increased fund flows and economic data across the globe signalling recovery from recession.
More recently, markets have started to fret that the Chinese restocking trend has come to an end while restocking demand outside China has yet to take hold.
Increases in LME copper stocks support this view. The latest data showed stocks rose 100 tonnes to total 353,325 -- their highest level since mid-May.
VIEWS DIVERGE
At the London Metal Exchange's annual industry gathering, views on the outlook for metals have diverged, with analysts cautiously optimisitc but consumers still citing a lack of demand for their products.
For a TAKE A LOOK on LME Week, please see
For blogs on the event, please see: http://blogs.reuters.com/commodity-corner/2009/10/09/live-from-london-metal-exchange-week-2009
Underpinning prices on the mine supply side are worries that a wage deal struck at Chile's Escondida raises the bar so high that labour strikes may hit other mines that cannot match its pay rates.
Among other industrial metals, aluminium was at $1,911 from $1,905, underpinned by LME data showing stocks fell 6,475 tonnes to total 4.5 million tonnes -- moving steadily away from a record near 4.6 million tonnes.
Zinc was at $2,020 from $2,034, while battery material lead was at $2,200 from $2,185.
Tin was at $14,450 from $14,250, and nickelwas at $18,351 from $18,550.
Investors in tin remain cocnerned about supplies because of a dominant position controlling more than 90 percent of cash warrants on LME stock.
Metal Prices at 0933 GMT Metal Last Change Percent Move End 2008 Ytd Percent
move COMEX Cu 283.65 0.00 +0.00 139.50 103.33 LME Alum 1905.00 0.00 +0.00 1535.00 24.10 LME Cu 6210.00 -10.00 -0.16 3060.00 102.94 LME Lead 2190.00 5.00 +0.23 999.00 119.22 LME Nickel 18325.00 -225.00 -1.21 11700.00 56.62 LME Tin 14375.00 -25.00 -0.17 10700.00 34.35 LME Zinc 2015.00 -19.00 -0.93 1208.00 66.80 SHFE Alu 14900.00 -60.00 -0.40 11540.00 29.12 SHFE Cu* 48870.00 -310.00 -0.63 23840.00 104.99 SHFE Zin 15810.00 -230.00 -1.43 10120.00 56.23 ** 1st contract month for COMEX copper * 3rd contract month for SHFE AL, CU and ZN SHFE ZN began trading on 26/3/07 (Reporting by Maytaal Angel, editing by Anthony Barker)
