RTRS: India copper almost steady on rupee, equities
MUMBAI, Dec 9 (Reuters) - India copper futures were almost flat on Wednesday as pressure from falling equities and rising stockpiles was offset by support from a weak rupee, analysts said.
The most-traded February contract MCCG0 on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) was 0.14 percent lower at 326.80 rupees per kg at 10:19 a.m.
The Indian rupee dropped to its lowest in almost two weeks as weakness in regional currencies and stocks weighed, but the dollar's weakness against major units may curb the decline. [INR/]
A weak rupee makes the dollar-quoted asset expensive.
"A weaker rupee could help copper early in the session, but falling equities could bring it down. Copper may trade in the range of 324-333 rupees," said Aurobinda Prasad, head of research, Karvy Comtrade.
Risk aversion swelled on Tuesday dragging global stocks down as worries over Dubai's debt problems hit bank shares. [MKTS/GLOB]
Copper stocks rose 750 tonnes to be at 453,300 tonnes on Tuesday on the London Metal Exchange.
"Copper may trade sideways to down, selling could be initiated at 330/331 rupees, with a potential target of 324 on an intra-day basis," said Abhishek Chuahan, an analyst with Angel Commodities.
In other base metals, zinc December MZIZ9 was 0.88 percent lower at 106.80 rupees per kg, while lead for December delivery MLDZ9 was 0.94 percent lower at 105.80 rupees per kg. (Reporting by Siddesh Mayenkar; Editing by Prem Udayabhanu)