METALS-London copper hits over two-week high as dollar tumbles

NEW DELHI, April 22 (Reuters) - Copper prices in London hit a more than two-week high on Tuesday, tracking a sharp fall in the dollar as President Donald Trump's ramped-up criticism of the Federal Reserve chairman shook investor confidence in the U.S. economy.

The benchmark three-month copper CMCU3 on the London Metal Exchange (LME) was up 0.8% at $9,265.5 per metric ton, as of 0212 GMT. It briefly hit $9,319.5 per metric ton, the highest since April 4.

The LME resumed after a break on Friday and Monday for Easter.

The most-traded copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) rose 0.4% to 76,760 yuan ($10,503.56) per metric ton.

The U.S. currency sagged close to the decade-low reached the previous day against the Swiss franc, and hovered near a 3-1/2-year trough versus the euro. USD/

A weaker dollar makes commodities priced in the U.S. currency cheaper for buyers using other currencies.

Trump ramped up his criticism of Fed chief Jerome Powell on Monday in a Truth Social post, calling him a "major loser" and demanding that he lower interest rates "NOW" or risk an economic slowdown.

"The crisis of confidence in U.S. markets is deepening as Trump's policies shake up, possibly break, the global economic order," said Kyle Rodda, senior financial market analyst at Capital.com.

Among other metals, LME aluminium CMAL3 added 0.9% to $2,387.5 a ton, lead CMPB3 rose 0.96% to $1,940.5, tin CMSN3 was up 2.05% at $31,270, zinc CMZN3 was up 0.99% to $2,602.5, and nickel CMNI3 was down 0.08% at $15,610 a ton.

SHFE aluminium SAFcv1 eased 0.08% to 19,760 yuan a ton, zinc SZNcv1 was down 0.18% to 22,170 yuan, lead SPBcv1 gained 0.15% to 16,965 yuan, while nickel SNIcv1 was down 0.02% at 125,400 yuan, tin SSNcv1 fell 0.67% to 257,590 yuan.

($1 = 7.3080 yuan)

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