* German court to rule on bailout fund on Wednesday * U.S. Federal Reserve concludes policy meeting on Thursday * Strong euro helps limit falls for metals By Harpreet Bhal LONDON, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Copper steadied on Tuesday after hitting a four-month high in the previous session, with trading likely to remain cautious ahead of a German ruling on the euro zone's bailout fund and a Fed meeting which could reveal additional stimulus measures. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange stood at $8,067 a tonne at 0912 GMT, almost flat against a close of $8,068 on Monday. Germany's Constitutional Court said it would go ahead with Wednesday's ruling on the legality of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) and the fiscal compact for budget discipline, whose implementation has been delayed for months by the German judges. Experts believe the court will approve the new permanent bailout fund and the budget deal, while possibly imposing tough conditions limiting Berlin's flexibility on future rescues. The market was also focused on a meeting by the U.S. Federal Reserve which ends on Thursday, after poor job figures for August raised the chances the central bank will take out extra insurance against an economic relapse by plumping for fresh monetary stimulus. ID:nL4E8K806T] "Ahead of the conclusion of the two-day Fed meeting we are likely to see rather quiet trading but prices will probably make significant gains if the Fed announces QE3," said Daniel Briesemann, analyst at Commerzbank. Copper broke above the $8,000 mark for the first time since mid-May on Tuesday. It has erased year-to-date losses of 5 percent seen in June to post gains of more than 5 percent, most of which were added in September. "This upward trend could continue. After the change of leadership in China we could see some renewed strong growth in the Chinese economy and we expect higher prices not only for copper but for base metals in general," Briesemann added. China, the world's top metals consumer, is preparing for a once-a-decade leadership change later this year. Keeping prices supported on Tuesday was a rise in the euro to a four-month high against the dollar, on speculation the German court will back the euro zone's bailout fund and that further easing is likely to come from the U.S. Fed. A weak dollar makes commodities priced in the U.S. unit cheaper for holders of other currencies. "From our side, we expect prices to stabilise. If any easing announcements are more pronounced than expected you can easily have prices trend higher. The dollar has come under pressure, so part of this move is dollar related," said Dominic Schnider, head of commodity research at UBS Wealth Management. CHINA Also supporting commodities was a series of spending and subsidy announcements by China, which accounted for 40 percent of refined copper demand last year. "It's probably a bit early to call for an acceleration (in housing market growth) but at least the drag on the housing side is likely to disappear. We have seen from the provinces and the government some stimulus measures, so that should help," added Schnider. Fixed asset investment, which accounted for half of China's net economic growth in the first-half of 2012, grew 20.2 percent between January and August compared to the same period a year earlier, even as China's factories ran at their slowest rate for 39 months, data on Sunday showed. Officials last week also revealed they had given the green light to 60 infrastructure projects worth more than $150 billion, as Beijing seeks to energise the economy. The announcement fueled investor hopes the world's growth engine may get a lift in the fourth quarter of the year and beyond. In other metals, aluminium was at $2,056.25 from Monday's close of $2,060, while zinc, used to galvanize steel, was at $2,002.75 from $2,015. Battery material lead was almost flat at $2,119 from $2,120. Tin was at $20,725 from a close on Monday of $20,600 while nickel slipped to $16,738 from $16,775. Metal Prices at 0907 GMT Comex copper in cents/lb, LME prices in $/T and SHFE prices in yuan/T Metal Last Change Pct Move End 2011 Ytd Pct move COMEX Cu 369.75 -0.05 -0.01 344.75 7.25 LME Alum 2057.00 -3.00 -0.15 2020.00 1.83 LME Cu 8075.25 7.25 +0.09 7600.00 6.25 LME Lead 2120.25 0.25 +0.01 2034.00 4.24 LME Nickel 16739.00 -36.00 -0.21 18650.00 -10.25 LME Tin 20640.00 40.00 +0.19 19200.00 7.50 LME Zinc 2003.25 -11.75 -0.58 1845.00 8.58 SHFE Alu 15730.00 -10.00 -0.06 15845.00 -0.73 SHFE Cu* 58320.00 180.00 +0.31 55360.00 5.35 SHFE Zin 15320.00 -15.00 -0.10 14795.00 3.55 ** Benchmark month for COMEX copper * 3rd contract month for SHFE AL, CU and ZN

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