Copper climbs as strike continues at BHP Billiton's Escondida mine

LONDON: Copper rose in London on Tuesday for the first day in five as a strike at the world's biggest mine fuelled speculation that supply will fall short of demand. A strike at BHP Billiton's Escondida mine entered a fifth day as Chilean labour authorities prepared to mediate talks between union and company officials.

The stoppage has cost about 12,000 tonnes in lost production so far, said Roberto Arriagada, a union director. The labour action "just adds to people's already preconceived idea that there is a tightness in supply," said Jaspar Crawley, a broker at Triland Metals, one of 12 companies on the floor of LME.