Zinc gains on supply concerns, dip in dollar

* China zinc market shows signs of supply tightness

* Dollar weakens against currency basket, supports metals

 

(Reuters) - Zinc prices rose on Tuesday, supported by a strike at a Peruvian mine, concerns over expected tight supplies and a slightly weaker dollar.

 

London Metal Exchange data showed zinc inventories declined by 2,050 tonnes to 691,725 tonnes on Monday, extending two months of almost daily falls. 

 

Also, workers at Peru's Antamina mine, its largest for both zinc and copper , began an indefinite strike. 

 

Supporting metals markets, the dollar dipped against a basket of currencies, making dollar-priced copper and other metals cheaper for non-U.S. buyers.

 

"The mine supply side for zinc is going to be tight next year but more recently smelter output expectations in China have become more muted. We see zinc prices averaging above $2,300 a tonne next year," Macquarie analyst Vivienne Lloyd said.

 

Three-month LME zinc closed up 1.1 percent at $2,269 a tonne. Zinc prices are up about 10 percent this year on expectations of a deficit.

 

In China, ShFE zinc stocks fell by a fifth on Friday to five-year lows of 111,761 tonnes, while ShFE cash prices have traded at a premium against third-month prices.

 

In other metals, LME copper ended 0.5 percent firmer at $6,692 a tonne. Copper prices have fallen 10 percent this year.

 

Chile's Codelco, the world's top copper producer, has lowered its term premium by 3.6 percent to $133 a tonne for 2015 term shipments of the metal to China. The premium is in step with the Chinese spot market, where the surcharge has more than halved this year.