BEIJING, March 15 (Reuters) - Copper prices edged up on Wednesday after cooling U.S. inflation data bolstered hopes of lower interest rate hikes by its central bank next week, while signs of demand recovery from top consumer China also supported investors' buying appetite.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was up 0.2% to $8,855 a tonne by 0126 GMT, the most-traded April copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange advanced 0.8% to 68,840 yuan ($10,023.30) a tonne.
Data showed that U.S. consumer prices rose at an expected monthly pace in February, raising bets of a smaller 25 basis-point hike in key interest rate.
That also eased worries looming earlier this week about the knock-on impact of a U.S. banking crisis.
The short-term outlook for copper is "pretty healthy", with global stockpiles trending down and mine disruptions having eroded supply from Latin America, Rio Tinto's head of copper Bold Baatar said on Tuesday.
Mining exports from Peru, the world's second-largest producer of copper, dropped 19.8% in January, compared with a year-ago period, the sector's business chamber said on Tuesday, in the wake of devastating protests that have rocked the country in recent months.
LME aluminium was down 0.4% at $2,343.50 a tonne, tin was unmoved at $22,960, zinc climbed 0.3% to $2,919, while lead eased 0.1% to $2,084.50.
SHFE aluminium rose 0.3% to 18,345 yuan a tonne, nickel was flat at 177,970 yuan, lead was up 0.1% at 15,240 yuan, and tin added 0.9% to 187,750 yuan, while zinc dipped 0.1% to 22,860 yuan.
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($1 = 6.8680 yuan) (Reporting by Siyi Liu and Dominique Patton; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
