April 1 (Reuters) - Copper rose to two-week highs on

Wednesday, as investors are betting on signs of de-escalation in

the ongoing war in the Middle East.

The benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange

rose 1.03% to $12,463 a metric ton as of 0243 GMT after

hitting $12,414, the highest since March 18.

The most-active copper contract on the Shanghai Futures

Exchange gained 1.54% to 97,030 yuan ($14,093.57) a

ton, following a rise to 97,250 yuan, the highest since March

19.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the military attacks

on Iran by the United States could endwithin two to three

weeks,even without a deal with Tehran.

Trump is expected to address the nation "to provide an

important update on Iran" at 9 p.m. EDT on Wednesday (0100 GMT

on Thursday).

Trump's comments provided some relief for copper, a metal seen

as a barometer of macroeconomic health and used widely in power

and construction. The red metal recently came under pressure as

rising oil prices amid the war dampened growth outlook and

stoked inflation fears.

London copper declined 7.55% in March, its worst month since

June 2022, after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.

On the other hand, the U.S. dollar weakened, which

makes commodities denominated in the greenback more affordable

for investors using other currencies.

Demand in China continued to show signs of recovery, as

stocks monitored by the SHFE declined for a second

consecutive week to 359,135 tons as of March 27, according to

the exchange's weekly stock data.

Elsewhere on the LME, aluminium nudged 0.17% lower,

zinc was little changed, up only 0.03%, lead

gained 1.26%, nickel rose 0.91% and tin climbed

1.25%.

Among other metals on the SHFE, aluminium ticked 0.02%

lower, zinc gained 0.15%, lead rose 1.21%,

nickel nudged 0.07% higher and tin rose 1.47%.

Wednesday, April 1

DATA/EVENTS

0750 France HCOB Mfg PMI Mar

0755 Germany HCOB Mfg PMI Mar

0800 EU HCOB Mfg Final PMI Mar

0830 UK S&P Global Manufacturing PMI Mar

0900 EU Unemployment Rate Feb

1230 US Retail Sales MM Feb

1345 US S&P Global Mfg PMI Final Mar

1400 US ISM Manufacturing PMI Mar

($1 = 6.8847 Chinese yuan renminbi)