METALS-Copper clings to range; eyes G20 in holiday-thinned trade
SINGAPORE, Feb 14 (Reuters) - London copper traded in a narrow range on Thursday, supported by signs of a revival in China's economic growth, but a week-long holiday there kept turnover light, while attention shifted to the G20 meeting at the weekend for cues on direction.
FUNDAMENTALS
* Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was steady at $8,230.50 a tonne by 0101 GMT, little changed from the previous session when it finished down 0.1 percent.
* Copper hit a 4-month high of $8,346 a tonne on Feb. 4, but has since struggled to regain upside momentum with the Shanghai Futures Exchange closed this week. Prices are up almost 4 percent so far this year.
* U.S. retail sales barely rose in January as tax increases and higher gasoline prices restrained spending, setting up the economy for only modest growth in the first quarter.
* The United States and European Union aim to start negotiating a vast Transatlantic free trade pact by June, though the plan confirmed on Wednesday faces many hurdles before it might help revive the world's top two economies.
* Japan's economy shrank 0.1 percent in October-December from the previous quarter, falling for a third straight quarter, government data showed on Thursday, in a sign the nation is struggling to escape from a mild recession.
* China's state-owned CITIC Group CITIC.UL has bought a A$452 million ($467 million) stake in Australia's Alumina Ltd AWC.AX, giving it an interest in the world's largest alumina business at a time when China has grown more dependent on alumina imports.
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MARKETS NEWS
* Asian shares steadied as investors awaited the G20 meeting of finance and central bank officials over the weekend for clues to their views about global growth and the role currencies play in the economies of individual member countries.
* The BOJ is expected to keep monetary policy steady but signal its readiness to expand stimulus again if risks to the outlook heighten.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT) N/A Bank of Japan announces policy decision 0630 France Q4 GDP 0700 Germany Q4 GDP 0900 Italy Q4 GDP 1000 Euro zone Q4 GDP 1330 U.S. Weekly jobless claims PRICES
Base metals prices at 0101 GMT
Metal Last Change Pct Move YTD pct chg LME Cu 8230.50 4.50 +0.05 3.80 SHFE CU FUT MAY3 59690 100 +0.17 3.48 HG COPPER MAR3 373.90 -0.35 -0.09 2.37 LME Alum 2142.50 1.50 +0.07 3.45 SHFE AL FUT MAY3 15240 35 +0.23 -0.68 LME Zinc 2195.00 0.00 +0.00 6.37 SHFE ZN FUT MAY3 15870 325 +2.09 2.09 LME Nickel 18360.00 0.00 +0.00 7.02 LME Lead 2407.00 2.00 +0.08 2.86 SHFE PB FUT 15515.00 80.00 +0.52 1.74 LME Tin 24950.00 0.00 +0.00 6.62 LME/Shanghai arb^ 1805
Shanghai and COMEX contracts show most active months
(Reporting by Melanie Burton; Editing by Ed Davies)