(Adds analyst comment and London dateline, updates prices)

LONDON, March 6 (Reuters) - Copper prices rose in London

on Wednesday as a weaker dollar and declining exchange

stockpiles provided support, though concerns about the lack of

major policy stimulus from top consumer China capped gains.

Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME)

was up 0.4% at $8,521.5 per metric ton by 1122 GMT.

A key Chinese parliament meeting this week failed to deliver

on market hopes for a big stimulus package to revive its

property sector and kept copper, used in construction, under

pressure.

"The low level of housing starts will continue to weigh on

industrial metals demand, given the lag between starts and

metals usage," said ING commodities analyst Ewa Manthey.

"Until the market sees signs of a sustainable recovery and

economic growth in China, we will struggle to see a long-term

move higher for metals," she added.

China's exports growth likely slowed in the January-February

period, a Reuters poll showed on Wednesday, suggesting

manufacturers are still struggling for overseas buyers.

The dollar index was down on Wednesday, making copper

and other dollar-priced metals more attractive for buyers using

other currencies.

Copper inventories in the LME-registered warehouses

continued to slide and reached their fresh six-month low, the

daily LME data showed.

Meanwhile, nickel prices fell with improved supply

prospects from top producer Indonesia and were last down 0.7% at

$17,630 per ton. A downtrend in China's prices of stainless

steel, the main consuming sector for nickel, further weighed on

sentiment.

Zinc was up 1.0% at $2,478.5 after hitting the

highest since Feb. 2 of $2,480.

Mine supply remains the key constraint on zinc, which should

continue to support prices, Bank of America said in a note. It

expects zinc prices to average $2,375 in 2024.

LME aluminium rose 0.4% to $2,236, tin

added 1.1% to $27,045, while lead gained 0.9% to $2,064.