"The yields rising indeed brought more demand for the US dollar...(but) the Fed meeting was actually very bullish for value or cyclical assets," said a Singapore-based metal trader.
Meanwhile, stockpiles are rising in exchange warehouses, with LME copper inventories hitting their highest since Dec. 30 at 107,275 tonnes, and ShFE stockpiles were last at their six-month high of 171,794 tonnes.
The most-traded May copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange climbed 1.1% to 67,770 yuan ($10,421.34) a tonne. Earlier in the day, it hit its highest since March 3 at 68,230 yuan.
The premium of LME cash copper over the three-month contract fell to $11.50 a tonne, its lowest since Feb. 11, suggesting that the nearby supply tightness has eased.
BHP is also looking to boost the number of permanent employees to around 60-80% of total staff in the next few years, Henry said, to increase safety and productivity.
A new generation of lithium-iron-phosphate batteries, which don't use nickel, is grabbing a growing share of the Chinese market. The technology has even got the Elon Musk nod of approval.