RTRS: India copper futures up 2 pct on weak dollar
MUMBAI, Sept 30 (Reuters) - India copper futures rose by over 2 percent on Wednesday as a weak dollar overseas spurred buying in the dollar-denominated red metal, analysts said.
Traders would be looking out for global data due this week for cues on how international prices will move in the last quarter of 2009, they added.
The most-traded November contract MCCX9 was 2.00 percent higher at 295.70 rupees per kg at 5:36 p.m., after hitting an intra-day high of 297.1 rupees earlier.
The dollar fell against major currencies, with month-end quarter-end buying lifting sterling and the yen, and surprisingly strong Australian retail sales figures pushing the Aussie sharply higher. [USD/]
"A weak dollar is supporting copper," said Somnath Dey, in-charge, metals and energy research with Religare Commodities.
"Copper may trade in the range of 292-299 rupees today and if it closes above 299, then copper may see further rally," said Navneet Damani, an analyst with Anand Rathi Commodities.
The next big-ticket U.S. data, including final GDP numbers for the second quarter and the Chicago purchasing managers' index later on Wednesday and non-farm payrolls on Friday, would provide direction to the base metals complex.
Domestic copper have doubled so far in the new calendar year on the back of Chinese stockpiling, and hopes of a global economic recovery.
"The recent fall was just a blip on the charts and copper would continue to rally till 316 rupees by mid-October," said Religare's Dey.
Meanwhile, copper stocks in the warehouses monitored by the London Metal Exchange rose 1,425 tonnes to 345,650 tonnes, while Copper inventories in warehouses monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell 2 percent from Thursday last week to 96,719 tonnes.
In other base metals, the September zinc MZIU9 was 2.51 percent higher at 91.90 rupees per kg, while lead for September delivery MLDU9 was 2.39 percent higher at 109.35 rupees per kg. (Reporting by Siddesh Mayenkar; Editing by Prem Udayabhanu)