METALS — Copper leads base metals higher ahead of LME Week

(Adds analyst comment and dateline, updates prices) By Polina Devitt LONDON, Oct 16 (Reuters) — Copper prices led other base metals higher on Friday as a weaker dollar offered support, while equity markets stabilised after Thursday's sharp selloff in technology stocks, improving risk appetite for growth-dependent metals. Benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange rose 0.8% to $14,462.50 a metric ton by 0959 GMT, recovering from a near two-week low of $14,256 touched on Thursday. The annual LME Week gathering in London next week for metals consumers, producers, traders and brokers coincides with the third Wednesday of the month, when monthly LME contracts expire. Copper and zinc, along with aluminium and tin, are heading into next week in backwardation, with cash contracts trading at a premium to three-month contracts, a structure that points to some tightness for nearby supply. "The real tightness in refined copper this year has been due to refined metal continuing to flood into the US ahead of anticipated tariffs to come in January next year," Ian Roper, metals researcher at brokerage Marex, said in a presentation. However, Roper expects copper to come under pressur