By Claudia Carpenter

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Copper climbed for a second day, trading near a 26-month high, as the consumption outlook improves in China, the world’s largest user.

Market News:

-- Wall Street economists are reviving a bet that the global economy will withstand the U.S. slowdown.

-- China will address “structural problems” and stabilize its economy by increasing domestic demand, Premier Wen Jiabao said.

-- Asian shares and emerging market currencies strengthened on speculation developing economies will maintain growth even as U.S. and Europe slow. The yen weakened, boosting earnings prospects for Japanese exporters.

-- UBS AG and Credit Suisse Group AG need to hold almost double the capital required under Basel III rules, said a Swiss government-appointed panel, proposing the first capital surcharge on too-big-to-fail banks.

-- The U.S. warned Americans traveling in Europe to be vigilant following weeks of discussion within the Obama administration about threats of an attack by an al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group, officials said.

-- A second round of bond purchases by the Federal Reserve may have the unintended consequences of pushing borrowing costs higher, say a growing number of U.S. government securities dealers, strategists and economists.

Metals News:

-- Global steel demand growth will probably fall to 5.3 percent next year on slowing sales in China, the world’s largest consumer of the metal, the World Steel Association said.

-- Record gold prices and rising agriculture costs may signal a “coming wave” of accelerating consumer prices, according to brokerage GoldCore Ltd.

-- Japan, the world’s biggest importer of rare earths, plans to send a study group to Mongolia this month as the nation tries to diversify its supply sources.

-- Copper supplies probably lagged behind demand by 250,000 metric tons to 300,000 tons so far this year, against a balanced market in the first nine months last year, Macquarie Group Ltd. said.

-- Uranium has a “significant risk” of higher prices if there are any supply disruptions, Macquarie Group Ltd. said.

Metal Prices:

--Editors: Claudia Carpenter, John Deane

To contact the reporter on this story: Claudia Carpenter in London at [email protected]

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Claudia Carpenter at [email protected].

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-10-04/copper-climbs-on-improved-demand-outlook-in-china-lme-preview.html