Copper futures in Shanghai rose Friday as the dollar weakened following the release of softer-than-expected US economic data.

The most-traded copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) for June delivery closed at 43,310 yuan ($6,991.07) per ton Friday, up 230 yuan or 0.54 percent from Thursday.

The contract was down 380 yuan week-on-week. 

Disappointing PMI data was one of the factors holding back copper prices, despite recent easing policies by the People's Bank of China (PBC), the central bank, according to a Reuters report Friday.

HSBC's flash manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for April declined to 49.2, the lowest in a year, compared with a final reading of 49.6 in March, HSBC said.

The weak China PMI data also hit the benchmark three-month copper contract on the London Metal Exchange. The contract fell as low as $5,864.50 a ton during Thursday trading, its lowest level since March 20 and down from Wednesday's $5,910. It closed at $5,940 a ton on Thursday, before rising further and closing at $6,030 a ton Friday.

Meanwhile, the US dollar hit a two-week low versus the euro Friday, which, along with robust global equities markets, helped to offset the negative effect of the PMI data in China.

A report by Reuters Friday quoted Nic Brown, head of commodities research at Natixis as saying that fundamentals in the copper market are improving. "Output is going to disappoint significantly for 2015 [and] prices will go up over the next six to 12 months," he said.

Global Times - Reuters