* China quarterly GDP data slowest since financial crisis
* Zinc stocks on SfHE jump 23 percent over the last week
* 2018 asset returns: (Adds closing prices)By Zandi ShabalalaLONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Copper rose on Friday and nickelprices rebounded from a one-month low after regulators in Chinapledged support for firms with liquidity issues brought on bymonths of slowing growth.Both metals ended the week down, however, under pressurefrom a firmer dollar and the negative effects of a lingeringtrade dispute between the United States and China."Whatever words of support the Chinese officials areproviding to non-state banks or struggling firms should alsohelp support for other cyclical assets including base metals,"ETF Securities commodity strategist Nitesh Shah said.
"This would reduce the threat of demand falling away in theChinese economy," he said.
China is the world's top consumer of metals.The benchmark copper contract on the London MetalExchange (LME) closed 1 percent higher at $6,220 per tonne, butstill ended the week more than 1 percent lower.
LME nickel ended 0.8 percent higher at $12,445 afterslumping to its lowest since Sept. 18 on Thursday.
CHINA STEEL: Production cuts ordered for this winter byChina's top steelmaking city Tangshan look less restrictive thanlast year, analysts said, potentially keeping output high evenas the city seeks to fight pollution by cutting smokestack smog. CHINA ECONOMY: China's economic growth in the third quarterslowed to its weakest pace since the global financial crisis,and missed expectations, as a years-long campaign to tackle debtrisks and the trade war with the United States began tobite. "Beijing has announced a number of stimulus measures tooffset the impact of trade tensions with the U.S., however thiscould take some time to feed through," ING said in a note.
TARIFFS: Disputes over U.S. tariffs and retaliatory moves byother countries have sparked 12 requests for adjudication at theWorld Trade Organization, signalling an escalation in globaltrade tensions. ALUMINIUM OUTPUT: China's primary aluminium production fellfor a second straight month in September, sliding to its lowestlevel since May as weaker aluminium prices and higher inputcosts led smelters to cut back output. STOCKS: LME nickel stocks have slumped 43 percent since thistime last year to about 220,000 tonnes. In warehouses monitoredby the Shanghai Futures Exchange, zinc stocks jumped 23.3percent to 53,479 tonnes from a week ago while copper stocksrose 12 percent to 140,789 tonnes.CHINA STEEL: China's daily steel output hit a record high of2.7 million tonnes in September, as mills in the world's topproducer cashed in on strong profit margins before the start ofwinter production curbs aimed at tackling smog. PRICES: Aluminium rose 0.5 percent to $2,023 pertonne, zinc finished 2.1 percent to $2,653, lead fell 0.5 percent to $1,991.50 and tin gained 0.7 percentto $19,170.<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Top base and precious metals analysis - GFMS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Additional reporting by Melanie BurtonEditing by Louise Ireland and David Evans)
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