* China HSBC Dec flash manufacturing PMI firms to 50.9 * Euro zone job rate falls, inflation pressures ease * Coming up: U.S. industrial output, Nov; 1415 GMT By Susan Thomas LONDON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Copper was steady on Friday, with a brightening outlook for big metal consumer China's economy offsetting concerns about the euro zone's deteriorating economy and a potential fiscal crisis in the United States. Growth in China's vast manufacturing sector picked up in December, a preliminary private survey showed, with rises in areas such as new orders and employment underlining an improving outlook for the economy. The HSBC flash purchasing managers' index for December rose to 50.9, a 14-month high and the fifth straight monthly gain. A figure above 50 indicates that growth is accelerating, while one below 50 shows slowing growth. "That's clearly heading in the right direction. On top of it you've got a big jump in Chinese equity markets. That's significant as well," said Natixis analyst Nic Brown. "China accounts for 40 percent of the metals market. Even if you have a situation in which Europe and the U.S. are struggling, if you get stronger growth in China you're going to get stronger growth in Asia." Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was $8,078 a tonne by 1116 GMT from the previous session's close of $8,074. The metal hit a two-month high on Wednesday, and is up more than 6 percent this year. China shares significantly outperformed Asian peers on Friday, after the improved manufacturing data, which was adding support to metals, traders said. Prospects are growing that China's new leadership will set in motion the policies Beijing has outlined to boost infrastructure development, which would increase demand for industrial metals. The country last month approved construction of two city subway projects worth 49 billion yuan ($7.87 billion), adding to a list of railway project approvals aimed at boosting growth in the world's second biggest economy. "To my mind lots of the policies that have been talked about over the last three to six months will now start to get implemented," Brown said. "We could find a lot of stimulus coming through as we go into 2013. I certainly expect that the growth outlook in China will get better." DIMMER In the euro zone, however, the growth outlook is a lot dimmer. Europeans' reluctance to spend on travel and eating out slowed increases in the cost of living in the region last month, and the economy's deteriorating power to generate jobs offered little chance for consumers to help in economic recovery. Disappointing German manufacturing sector figures overshadowed a small pick-up in the wider euro zone purchasing manager index, data which polls around 5,000 businesses across the 17-nation bloc and is viewed as a reliable growth indicator. This sent the region's shares and the euro into reverse. In the United States, President Barack Obama and House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner held a face-to-face meeting on Thursday in an effort to avert the "fiscal cliff" of steep tax increases and spending cuts. There are fears the economy could dip into recession again if politicians fail to break the gridlock in Washington. In other metals, tin was at $23,125 from $22,975 at the close on Thursday, while zinc was at $2,084 f rom $2,073. Lead was at $2,307 from $2,303 and aluminium was at $2,124 from $2,126. Nickel was at $17,851 from $17,700. Metal Prices at 1126 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 367.05 2.05 +0.56 344.75 6.47 LME Alum 2123.75 -2.25 -0.11 2020.00 5.14 LME Cu 8082.25 8.25 +0.10 7600.00 6.35 LME Lead 2307.25 4.25 +0.18 2034.00 13.43 LME Nickel 17846.00 146.00 +0.82 18650.00 -4.31 LME Tin 23125.00 155.00 +0.67 19200.00 20.44 LME Zinc 2083.50 -11.50 -0.55 1845.00 12.93 SHFE Alu 15315.00 -5.00 -0.03 15845.00 -3.34 SHFE Cu* 57730.00 160.00 +0.28 55360.00 4.28 SHFE Zin 15450.00 95.00 +0.62 14795.00 4.43 ** 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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