News: METALS-London copper mired near 2-month low as supply mounts

MELBOURNE, Aug 25 (Reuters) - London copper hung near a two-month low on Thursday on evidence of mounting supply, while nickel also weakened after lower shipments to China.

FUNDAMENTALS

• Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange CMCU3 was trading flat at $4,631 a tonne at 0040 GMT, following 1.7-percent losses in the previous session when it fell to its weakest since July 24 at $4,622.50
• Shanghai Futures Exchange copper SCFcv1 had ended the overnight session down 2 percent at 36,100 yuan ($5,424) a tonne.
• LME copper stocks have jumped by 14,625 tonnes, the latest data showed, bringing total stocks above 250,000 tonnes for the first time since November 2015. Stocks have shot up by a fifth in the last week alone. MCUSTX-TOTAL
• Heavy losses were also seen in ShFE nickel SNIcv1 which fell 3.2 percent after China's imports slumped by 40 percent in July, and as fears fade over a wholesale halt to Philippine ore exports.
• U.S. home resales fell more than expected in July after four straight months of strong gains, as a lack of inventory limited choice for buyers, but further price rises suggested the housing market remained on solid ground.
• China took aggressive steps on Wednesday to head off signs of growing risks in its financial and banking system, unveiling detailed rules to curb an unruly peer-to-peer (P2P) lending sector and intervening in its money markets.
• Sundance Resources (SDL) said on Thursday Australian police are investigating allegations that the company may have bribed politicians in Congo Republic to win permits to pursue a major iron ore project.
• Australia's South32 Ltd , the world's biggest producer of manganese, reported a 76-percent drop in annual underlying profit, hit by weak metals prices, it said on Thursday.
• China's imports of nickel and zinc slumped on the month in July while its copper imports slipped by 3 percent, partially due to seasonal factors with many factories closing over the northern hemisphere summer.
• For the top stories in metals and other news, click [TOP/MTL] or [MET/L]

  MARKETS NEWS

• Asian stocks slipped on Thursday, taking their cue from an overnight drop on Wall Street, while the dollar marked time ahead of Friday's speech by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen at the global central bankers' meeting. [MKTS/GLOB]

  DATA/EVENTS 0800 Germany IFO business climate for August 1230 US Durable goods for July 1230 US initial jobless claims 1345 US Markit Comp Flash PMI for August

PRICES

	Three month LME copper		  CMCU3  
	Most active ShFE copper		 SCFcv1  
	Three month LME aluminium	   CMAL3  
	Most active ShFE aluminium	  SAFcv1  
	Three month LME zinc			CMZN3  
	Most active ShFE zinc		   SZNcv1  
	Three month LME lead			CMPB3  
	Most active ShFE lead		   SPBcv1  
	Three month LME nickel		  CMNI3 
	Most active ShFE nickel		 SNIcv1   
	Three month LME tin			 CMSN3  
	Most active ShFE tin			SSNcv1		  
	 
($1 = 6.6562 Chinese yuan renminbi)