* China export orders dips in August * Euro zone manufacturing PMIs contract for first time since Sept 09 * Coming up: U.S. weekly jobless claims at 1230 GMT By Harpreet Bhal LONDON, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Copper fell on Thursday on weak export orders from big metal consumer China and a survey showing a contraction in manufacturing activity in the euro zone, but supply concerns kept a floor under prices. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange fell to $9,140 a tonne by 1005 GMT, down from a close of $9,275 on Wednesday. While solid demand kept China's factory activity steady last month, tight monetary policy at home and tepid demand abroad blunted the country's manufacturing activity, with new export orders showing a sharp drop partly due to the debt problems in developed countries. In Europe, a survey showed euro zone manufacturing activity contracted for the first time in almost two years in August on the back of a sharp downturn in output and new orders. "It's going to be a volatile environment for the time being. Obviously global growth is slowing, particularly European PMIs were not very good today. I think what is happening is that as soon as there is any good news prices rally and bad new they fall back," said Daniel Smith, analyst at Standard Chartered. China Premier Wen Jiabao signalled on Thursday controlling inflation will remain a top priority in the coming months even as the world economy wobbles, raising expectations Beijing will keep monetary policy tight. Inflation in China, which accounts for nearly 40 percent of global copper demand, ran at 6.5 percent in July, far exceeding the government's full-year inflation target of 4 percent. "The dominant view is clearly that China will continue its tightening of monetary policy especially on account of persistently high inflation rates. Furthermore, the Brazilian central bank surprisingly lowered interest rates last night. This suggests that growth is also weakening in the emerging countries," Commerzbank said in a note. A stronger dollar also put pressure on base metals, with the U.S. currency rising 0.6 percent against a basket of currencies . A stronger dollar makes commodities priced in the U.S. unit more expensive for holders of other currencies. TIGHT SUPPLIES Supply concerns, however, prevented further falls in copper prices, with output in Chile -- the world's No. 1 copper producer -- registering an 18 percent year-on-year drop in July. "I think the trend is still slowly upwards but pretty volatile within that. We see there will be modest demand growth and continued supply tightness which will keep things on a slow upward trajectory," Standard Chartered's Smith said. Copper prices registered a 5.6 percent drop in August -- their biggest monthly drop since June 2010 -- reflecting underlying caution about the pace of global growth following a string disappointing economic data from the United States in recent weeks. Investors will be awaiting the crucial U.S. non-farm payrolls report on Friday for fresh clues on the health of the country's economy. Three-month aluminium fell to $2,439 a tonne from $2,469 from $2,425, while zinc slipped to $2,238.50 from a close of $2,292 on Thursday. Tin was at $2,3950 from $24,400 and battery material lead fell to $2,521 from $2,580. Nickel was at $2,1861 a tonne from $22,200 hit on Wednesday. Metal Prices at 0956 GMT Comex copper in cents/lb, LME prices in $/T and SHFE prices in yuan/T Metal Last Change Pct Move End 2010 Ytd Pct move COMEX Cu 413.00 -6.40 -1.53 444.70 -7.13 LME Alum 2469.00 0.00 +0.00 2470.00 -0.04 LME Cu 9274.00 -1.00 -0.01 9600.00 -3.40 LME Lead 2578.00 -2.00 -0.08 2550.00 1.10 LME Nickel 22200.00 0.00 +0.00 24750.00 -10.30 LME Tin 24400.00 0.00 +0.00 26900.00 -9.29 LME Zinc 2291.50 -0.50 -0.02 2454.00 -6.62 SHFE Alu 17465.00 -5.00 -0.03 16840.00 3.71 SHFE Cu* 68190.00 -170.00 -0.25 71850.00 -5.09 SHFE Zin 17205.00 -155.00 -0.89 19475.00 -11.66 ** Benchmark month for COMEX copper * 3rd contract month for SHFE AL, CU and ZN SHFE ZN began trading on 26/3/07

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