BEIJING, Dec 22 (Reuters) - London copper prices edged lower on Friday as the dollar strengthened slightly and wage agreements at mines in Chile eased concerns about supply
disruptions in the world's top producer of the metal. A rising U.S. currency makes dollar-denominated commodities more expensive for non-U.S. firms but copper remains on course
for a weekly gain of 2.7 percent and a close above $7,000 per tonne on the London Metal Exchange (LME) before the two-day Christmas holiday next week.
"Heading into next year, a case can be made for a relatively higher trading range for copper compared to what we saw in 2017," INTL FCStone said in its 2018 LME price outlook, noting
that key labour negotiations "could potentially impact a substantial amount of metal." FUNDAMENTALS: * LME COPPER: Three-month copper was down 0.3
percent to $7,067.50 a tonne by 0722 GMT, having slipped 0.6 percent earlier in the session. On Thursday it closed up 0.6
percent after touching its highest in nearly two months. * SHFE COPPER: The most-traded February copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) closed up 0.4
percent at 54,500 yuan ($8,289.86) a tonne. * ALUMINIUM: LME aluminium was down 0.4 percent at $2,140 a tonne on end-of-year profit-taking after a week-long
rally triggered by lower production in China. ShFE aluminium ended down 0.4 percent. * TECK: Canadian miner Teck Resources and the
union representing 105 workers at its Quebrada Blanca copper mine in Chile said on Thursday they had reached a new wage agreement, ending an eight-day strike.
* ANTOFAGASTA: Chilean miner Antofagasta Plc said on Wednesday it had reached a new wage agreement with unionized workers at its Centinela mine, defusing the risk of a strike
amid a volatile labour landscape. * USD: The dollar was steady at 113.370 yen, with its index against a basket of six major currencies 0.1 percent
higher at 93.392. * ALASKA: The would-be developer of the widely opposed Pebble Mine copper and gold project in salmon-rich southwestern
Alaska announced on Thursday it will file its first application for a permit. * AFRICA: With some mining companies increasingly reluctant
to own outright the infrastructure that keeps their projects going, an African development institution is linking up with
investment funds to help fill the gap. * UNITED STATES: U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Thursday launched an effort to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign
supplies of critical minerals used in smartphones, computers and military equipment, which he said poses a national security and
economic risk.
