London copper was steady on Thursday, holding above two-week lows hit the previous session as broader investor sentiment revived, while disruptions piled up in the zinc market.
FUNDAMENTALS
* LME COPPER: London Metal Exchange copper edged up 0.1 percent to $5,818 a tonne at 0154 GMT, adding to a 0.6 percent gain from the previous session when prices plumbed their lowest since March 10 at $5,715 a tonne.
* SHANGHAI COPPER: Shanghai Futures Exchange copper rose 0.6 percent to 47,150 yuan ($6,844) a tonne.
* LME ZINC traded down 0.1 percent at $2,854 a tonne, while LME lead fell 0.4 percent, having rallied more than 4 percent on Wednesday following a large draw in LME stocks.
* PERU: A railway used by copper, zinc and silver mines to transport their concentrates from Peru's central Andes to port is likely be out of action for at least two to three weeks following "important" damage from floods and mudslides, the transportation minister said on Wednesday.
* PERU: Brazilian group Votorantim has halted operations at its zinc smelter Cajamarquilla in Peru as a precaution amid flooding and mudslides that have disrupted transportation and restricted running water in the Andean country.
* PERU: Peruvian zinc, copper and lead miner Milpo, controlled by Brazilian group Votorantim, declared force majeure on Wednesday after roads to its mines El Porvenir and Atacocha in the Andes were blocked by the deadly downpours.
* ZINC STRIKE: A 3-1/2-week strike at Noranda Income Fund's zinc processing facility in Quebec is showing no signs of ending, union officials said on Wednesday, with no talks set between workers and management. - Reuters