* GRAPHIC-2019 asset returns: (Adds closing prices)By Zandi ShabalalaLONDON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Copper rose from a two-week lowon Wednesday due to signs of an easing in tensions in theU.S.-China trade conflict, but a lack of a firm resolution kepta lid on the tepid gains.Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange(LME) ended 0.3 percent higher at $6,125 per tonne, its firstrise in five sessions."There is an element of optimism but the market is a bitmore wait-and-see and seems a bit exhausted," ETF Securitiesanalyst Nitesh Shah said.
"If there is something more concrete from the trade talks -and not just moving timelines around, an actual agreement with a plan - then we might have something more firm from prices."
TRADE TALKS: U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin saidtalks with China went well on Wednesday, as the world's twolargest economies try to iron out an agreement to resolve theirtrade dispute. On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he could letthe deadline for a trade agreement "slide for a little while". If a trade deal cannot be reached by the deadline of March1, U.S. tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports arescheduled to increase to 25 percent from 10 percent.STOCKS: On-warrant stocks of copper available to the marketin LME-registered warehouses were at 74,750 tonnes, close to a2005 low touched in October. "Copper demand is sufficiently strong to support prices atthese levels, slightly above $6,100, but it's not strong enoughto push them further without any major broad-basedmetal-intensive stimulus in China," Julius Baer analyst CarstenMenke said.FLOODS HIT ZINC: Floods in Australia's Queensland state areset to disrupt the rail delivery of zinc exports to the northernport of Townsville, with the line likely to be out of action forat least a month, analysts said on Wednesday.Townsville port ships about 40 percent of Australia's zincproduction, equal to about 700,000 tonnes a year or 5 percent ofglobal supply. ZINC SPREADS: LME zinc stocks are at theirlowest since January 2008, but cash zinc was trading at adiscount of $6.25 a tonne to the three-month price ,down from a premium of $125 in early December, in a sign ofweaker immediate demand.TIN: LME tin added 0.8 percent to $21,100 per tonne,after touching its highest since April 2018.
The LME on Tuesday suspended the MSP tin brand, reinforcingworries about tight supplies on the LME market where stocks areclose to record lows at 1,440 tonnes. OTHER METALS: Aluminium ended barely changed at$1,860 per tonne, zinc down 0.4 percent to $2,597. Lead was down 0.7 percent to $2,020, while nickel finished marginally softer at $12,405.
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Top Base and Precious Metals Analysis - GFMS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Additional reporting by Tom Daly; Editing by Dale Hudson andJan Harvey)