BEIJING, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Copper prices in London gained on Monday, thanks to a weak U.S. dollar, but the gains were limited by a slowdown in winter demand in the world's top consumer China and also a recent rise in inventories.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was up 0.4% to $8,208.50 per metric ton by 0539 GMT, extending its weekly gain on Friday.
The dollar index hovered around its six-week low on Monday, as U.S. job data released last Friday reinforced investors' expectation the Federal Reserve will hold interest rates steady again at its December meeting.
The greenback declined more than 1% last week, its heaviest fall since mid-July.
A weaker dollar makes it cheaper to buy commodities and therefore lends support to metal prices.
The dollar's fall and stimulus rolled out by China enhanced investors' risk appetite.
However, the destocking of global copper stocks was slowing, which could limit the price gains, analysts at Guotai Junan Futures said in a note.
Copper stocks on SHFE warehouses
The most-traded December copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange lost 0.2% to 67,560 yuan ($9,277.80) per ton.
The metal used in power, transportation and construction sectors, is facing slower seasonal consumption in the winter, while a patchy economic recovery in China also added uncertainty in its demand outlook.
LME aluminium added 0.1% at $2,257 a ton, nickel gained 0.1% to $18,240, zinc little moved at $2,526, lead nudged down 0.2% to $2,168, and tin slid 0.4% to $24,270.
SHFE aluminium nudged 0.1% higher to 19,200 yuan a ton, zinc added 0.2% to 21,455 yuan, lead climbed 0.2% to 16,590 yuan, nickel was up 1% to 143,540 yuan, and tin ticked 0.4% up to 207,110 yuan.
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($1 = 7.2819 yuan) (Reporting by Siyi Liu and Dominique Patton; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Mrigank Dhaniwala)
