METALS-LME copper gains on relief from US tariffs, China stimulus

April 15 (Reuters) - London copper firmed on Tuesday, remaining close to the over one-week high reached in the previous session, helped by recent exemptions from U.S. tariffs and hopes for more stimulus from top consumer China to help boost economic growth.

The benchmark three-month copper CMCU3 on the London Metal Exchange (LME) was up 0.2% at $9,206.5 a metric ton as of 0106 GMT. It hit its highest level since April 4 on Monday.

The most-traded copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) SCFcv1 rose 0.4% to 76,170 yuan ($10,417.27) per ton.

U.S. excluded smartphones and other electronics from its tariffs on China over the weekend, and after President Donald Trump added new wrinkles to his vacillating trade policy on Monday by suggesting he might grant exemptions on auto-related levies already in place.

However, the White House announced investigations into whether imports of pharmaceuticals and semiconductors threaten national security, potentially leading to tariffs on these products.

Copper gained after Trump handed out exemptions to his reciprocal tariffs. The pause on import fees on consumer electronics provided a temporary respite for markets after Trump's trade policies sowed deep uncertainty, said Daniel Hynes, a senior commodity strategist at ANZ Bank.

Meanwhile, China's imports of unwrought copper and copper products in March declined 1.4% from a year earlier to 467,000 tons, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Monday.

Market participants are expecting more stimulus measures from Chinese authorities to bolster consumption and cushion the economic impact of an escalating trade war with the United States.

SHFE aluminium SAFcv1 eased 0.2% to 19,675 yuan a ton, zinc SZNcv1 lost 0.2% to 22,415 yuan, lead SPBcv1 retreated 0.5% to 16,830 yuan, nickel SNIcv1 was up 0.5% at 123,590 yuan, tin SSNcv1 fell 0.1% to 259,530 yuan.

LME aluminium CMAL3 gained 0.4% to $2,382.5 a ton, lead CMPB3 fell 0.2% to $1,913, tin CMSN3 was up 0.6% at $31,450, zinc CMZN3 rose 0.1% to $2,638.5 and nickel CMNI3 rose 0.2% to $15,330 a ton.

($1 = 7.3119 Chinese yuan renminbi)