METALS-Copper falls on dollar, increasing supply weighs

* China copper imports slump 15.1 pct in Feb on Lunar New Year effect

* Dollar rises to 3-1/2 year high vs yen before jobs data

* Coming Up: US Feb non-farm payrolls; 1330 GMT

LONDON, March 8 (Reuters - Copper fell on Friday on a stronger dollar, bucking the trend in surging global equities markets as commodities investors worried about increasing supply of the metal and lower demand. China's commodity imports were surprisingly weak in February, falling 15.2 percent from a year earlier to 13-month lows, customs data showed on Friday. Its monthly imports of copper fell to their lowest in 20 months, as importers cut term shipments to avoid the Lunar New Year holiday. China is the world's biggest consumer of most commodities, including base metals. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was $7,727 tonne by 1126 GMT, from $7,765 from the previous session when it climbed 1 percent. "What really strikes me most is how the base metals market is behaving entirely differently from stock markets," BNP Paribas analyst Stephen Briggs said. "Copper's outperformance of the last 10 years has been 150 percent a supply story and not a demand story. It's still a supply story, but that supply story is changing in the sense that we are now seeing stronger supply growth which is why copper is struggling." New supply of copper, as mining projects around the globe come on stream this year and next, is seen bringing the market into a surplus of 120,000 tonnes in 2013, compared with earlier forecasts of a 12,000 tonne deficit this year, with the surplus forecast to widen to 295,568 tonnes in 2014, according to poll After years of a shortfall, the market is awash with copper. Total exchange stocks, comprising metal registered with the LME, COMEX and the Shanghai Futures Exchange, have mushroomed by 53 percent to 706,000 tonnes in the space of just three months. They are now at their highest level since May 2010. The dollar surged to a 3-1/2 year high against the yen, also inflicting damage on copper. A stronger dollar makes metals more expensive for holders of other currencies. Copper prices shed more than 4 percent over February and are down 2 percent for the year. For the week however, prices are set to close up nearly 0.4 percent. Three-month tin was at $23,750 from $23,655 while zinc was at $1,984 from $1,990 at Thursday's close. Lead was at $2,201 from $2,211 and aluminium was at $1,964 from $1979. Nickel was at $16,624 from $16,650.

Metal Prices at 1115 GMT Comex copper in cents/lb, LME prices in $/T and SHFE prices in yuan/T

Metal Last Change Pct Move End 2012 Ytd Pct

move

COMEX Cu 349.35 -1.60 -0.46 365.25 -4.35 LME Alum 1965.00 -14.00 -0.71 2073.00 -5.21 LME Cu 7730.50 -34.50 -0.44 7931.00 -2.53 LME Lead 2202.50 -8.50 -0.38 2330.00 -5.47 LME Nickel 16605.00 -45.00 -0.27 17060.00 -2.67 LME Tin 23722.00 67.00 +0.28 23400.00 1.38 LME Zinc 1985.00 -5.00 -0.25 2080.00 -4.57 SHFE Alu 14900.00 85.00 +0.57 15435.00 -3.47 SHFE Cu* 56700.00 280.00 +0.50 57690.00 -1.72 SHFE Zin 15220.00 80.00 +0.53 15625.00 -2.59 ** Benchmark month for COMEX copper * 3rd contract month for SHFE AL, CU and ZN

SHFE ZN began trading on 26/3/07