METALS-Most up after China’s stimulus hope, Trump’s comments on trade deal

HANOI, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Most base metals rebounded on Tuesday as China signalled more supportive measures to stabilise a slowing economy after weak trade data disappointed investors. China’s state planner said on Tuesday it will aim to achieve “a good start” in the first quarter for the economy, signalling more supportive measures to come as the world’s second-biggest economy slows further. Sentiment also picked up after U.S. President Donald Trump predicted Washington would reach a deal with China to end a tit-for-tat trade war, saying Beijing wants to negotiate and that talks are going well. All base metals on the London Metal Exchange rose, while copper and aluminium contracts on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were on track for their third straight session of falls, following lower-than-expected Chinese trade data released on Monday. “Outside people, generally speaking, are still looking at the macro part, while domestically (in China), people are a little disappointed by the imports number,” said analyst Chris Wu at CRU Group. FUNDAMENTALS: LONDON: Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange rose 0.7 percent to $5,939.5 a tonne, reversing losses from the previous session, while London aluminium edged up 0.2 percent to $1,831 a tonne. SHANGHAI: The most-traded Shanghai copper contract eased 0.1 percent while Shanghai aluminium lost 0.2 percent. Nickel, zinc, lead and tin all advanced. RUSAL: The U.S. Senate will begin voting on Tuesday on a resolution criticising the Trump administration’s decision to ease sanctions on companies linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, including aluminium giant Rusal.