BEIJING, March 1 (Reuters) - Shanghai copper prices fell for a fourth day on Thursday to touch their lowest level in more
than two weeks as the dollar strengthened and stock markets declined, but other metals gained ground after upbeat manufacturing data from top consumer China.
The private Caixin/Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index for February beat expectations to reach its highest in six
months, a day after China's official factory activity reading raised concerns of a sharper-than-expected slowdown in the
world's second biggest economy this year. The impact was probably the result of ongoing production constraints due to the environmental controls in China," ANZ
said of the offical PMI reading. FUNDAMENTALS: * SHFE COPPER: The most-traded copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange had slipped 0.5 percent to
52,490 yuan ($8,280.49) a tonne by 0459 GMT. It earlier touched its lowest since Feb. 13 at 52,120 yuan a tonne, and is down 2
percent so far this week. * LME COPPER: Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange rose 0.4 percent to $6,956 a tonne, having
fallen by 1.3 percent in both the two previous sessions. It earlier marked $6,905, also its lowest since Feb. 13. * OTHER METALS: Shanghai zinc and nickel
shrugged off early losses to turn positive after the Caixin/Market PMI survey came out, rising 0.2 percent and 0.3 percent respectively.
* MONGOLIA: The Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine in Mongolia's southern Gobi Desert will lift force majeure effective March 1 and majority owner Turquoise Hill Resources
Ltd said on Wednesday that it expected to make up any sales-related effects over the next few quarters. * VALE: Brazil's Vale, the world's No.1 nickel
producer, plans to save well over $150 million by reducing costs across its nickel operations, which have notched positive cash
flow for the past two months, company executives said. * SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa's new mining minister Gwede Mantashe said on Wednesday he would finalise the latest version
of an industry charter which lays out requirements for black ownership levels and other targets in the next three months.
