* Dollar falls vs euro after euro zone economy accelerates * Shanghai warehouse copper stocks up 20.4 pct * Coming up: U.S. industrial output at 1415 GMT (Updates prices, adds comment, detail; previous SYDNEY) By Harpreet Bhal LONDON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Copper rose on Friday, helped by a weak dollar and limited short-term availability of the metal in the physical market, but gains were contained by uncertainty about the outlook for demand following soft economic data from the U.S. and China. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was at $7,142 a tonne at 1015 GMT, up from a close of $7,110 on Thursday. The metal used in power and construction is trading is down 3 percent in the year to date. Helping gains was a rise in the euro against the dollar, following better-than-expected German and French economic growth data. A weak dollar makes commodities priced in the U.S. unit cheaper for holders of other currencies. Data showing dwindling supplies of copper stocks, which raised concerns about immediate availability, also lent support to prices. Data showed stocks in LME-registered warehouses are at their lowest level in more than a year at 299,125 tonnes. MCUSTX-TOTAL Copper prices posted their biggest weekly gain of the year last week on signs global economic growth was gaining steam, but doubts over China's trade data and a bitter winter curbing U.S. growth have cut short copper's momentum. "Yes, it is true, that some shorts are getting squeezed out, as more bullish bets are building up, given the supply data monitored by the LME, but the bottom line is (economic) growth, which is going to impact the price for the metal," said Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at Ava Trade. He said that in the longer-term copper prices could rise but the market would need to see more evidence of positive data from top consumer China. Latest data showed growth in China's auto market slowed to 6 percent in January, a third of the rate seen in December, partly weighed down by sluggish sales of commercial vehicles like trucks and buses. China's local market is amply supplied. Copper stocks in China's bonded zone jumped to more than 600,000 tonnes by mid-February as huge January imports seep back into local markets, said analyst Chunlan Li at CRU in Beijing. Stocks in China's ShFE warehouses have swelled by 30,000 tones to around 150,000 tonnes this year, reversing a downtrend in place since March. Latest data showed these inventories rose 20.4 percent from last Friday, the ShFE said. Li said workers at copper product makers are only slowing checking in after the Lunar New Year break, and activity was still well below the seasonal peak period that comes in March. "Some big-sized manufacturers have started to resume operations, but most workers, especially at small-sized manufacturers might wait until next week," she said. "Other migrant workers may not return to work until the end of the month," she added. Demand for steel is picking up in southern and eastern Europe, especially from carmakers, but prices are still at a low level, ThyssenKrupp's finance chief said.

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