METALS-Shanghai copper to open lower, tracking LME loss

SHANGHAI, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Shanghai copper is expected toopen lower on Friday, tracking London's losses in the previoussession, after a surging dollar sparked a broad commoditiesselloff. FUNDAMENTALS * Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange MCU3fell $169 to close to $6,870 a tonne on Thursday, and extendedlosses to $6,861 in after-hour trading. * When Shanghai closed on Thursday, LME copper stood at$6,989 a tonne. * On the supply side, union workers at Chile's Altonortecopper smelter voted to strike after they rejected a wage offerfrom owner global miner Xstrata (XTA.L: Quote, Profile, Research). [ID:nN17186419] * Japan's primary aluminium buyers have agreed to roughly7-13 percent hikes in premiums for the first quarter of nextyear, to a 14-year high, as Japan's apparent aluminium demandhas finally recovered close to levels seen before the financialcrisis. [ID:nTOE5BG06L] MARKET NEWS * The U.S. dollar surged to its highest against the euro inmore than three months on Thursday, a day after the FederalReserve voiced optimism on the U.S. economy. [USD/] * U.S. stocks fell on Thursday as the dollar's reboundspurred safe-haven trade, cutting demand for riskierassets.[.N] DATA/EVENTS The following data is expected on Friday: - Bank of Japan Dec rate decision - Germany producer prices (0700 GMT) - Euro zone ECN net investment flows (0900) - Italy industrial orders, sales (0900 GMT) - UK money supply (0930 GMT) - U.S. ECRI weekly (1530 GMT) RELATED NEWS > METALS-Copper ends down on dollarrally,outlook [ID:nLDE5BG0OX] > Xstrata smelter workers inChile vote to strike [ID:nN17186419] > Assomet cuts Italycopper product output view [ID:nLDE5BG2D8] > KGHM sees 2010net touch below 2009 goal-source [ID:nLDE5BG0YO] > ChinaJinchuan to build Guangxi nickel, copper [ID:nTOE5BG072] > Nyrstar expects higher zinc prices in 2010 [ID:nLDE5BG084] > Japan Q1 aluminium premiums rise to 14-yr high [ID:nTOE5BG06L] > TABLE-Japan quarterly aluminium premiumssince 2[ID:nTOE5BG07E] (Reporting by Rujun Shen and Edmund Klamann; Editing by TomaszJanowski)