Copper falls on firmer dollar, rising inventories in China

BEIJING, Feb 26 (Reuters) – Copper prices lost ground on Monday, weighed down by a firmer U.S. dollar ahead of key economic data and rising inventories in top consumer China. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was down 0.5% at $8,529 per metric ton by 0618 GMT, while the most-traded March copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange slid 0.4% to 68,990 yuan ($9,585.27) per ton. The dollar was on the front foot on Monday, ahead of a week packed with key economic releases. A stronger dollar makes it more expensive to buy the greenback-priced commodity, thereby weighing down prices. Investor focus will be on inflation data from the United States, Japan and Europe, which will help refine expectations…