* China growth expected to slow to 7 percent next year * China to widen banks' deposit base in bid to boost liquidity * Dollar stays strong vs euro as Greece faces new elections (Recasts, updates prices, changes dateline, adds quote/details) By Maytaal Angel LONDON, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Copper fell on Monday, hitting its lowest in about a month as investors booked profits ahead of the year-end amid persistent concerns about a strong dollar and a growth slowdown in top consumer China. Growth in China's manufacturing sector likely slowed to a 18-month low in December, a Reuters poll showed earlier, adding to signs of a protracted economic slowdown that may prompt authorities to roll out more stimulus measures. China consumes about 45 percent of the world's copper. "On copper, the market is waiting for some concrete signs that the (China) slowdown can be managed by the central bank, until we have these signs, every bounce will get sold," said Gianclaudio Torlizzi, a partner at T-Commodity. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange was down 1 percent at $6,238.75 a tonne by 1203 GMT, after having touched $6,230 earlier, a level last seen on Dec. 2. The price of the industrial metal is on track for a 15 percent loss this year, marking its second year of decline. In a bid to boost liquidity and reinvigorate productive business investment, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) will change rules governing how loan-to-deposit ratios are calculated at banks starting from next year. Still, a top Chinese government think tank said on Monday that the country's economy is expected to slow to 7 percent growth next year from a forecast 7.3 percent this year. Copper inventories stored in the Shanghai Futures Exchange's affiliated warehouses jumped some 14 percent from a week ago to hit a near-five-month high of 105,522 tonnes on Friday. European equities slumped after Greek lawmakers rejected the government's candidate for president, leaving Greece facing a snap election that will fuel worries about its future in the euro zone. The uncertainties have helped boost the dollar, which was near a two-year high versus the euro, making dollar-priced metals costlier for European and other non-U.S. investors. Europe accounts for some 20 percent of global copper demand, making it the second largest consuming region after China. Tin dropped 1.05 percent to $18,850 a tonne. The metal on Friday hit its lowest since August 2012 at $18,695 but ended the session up about 3.5 percent. Tin has been extremely volatile in holiday thinned trade, with indications that global sales from top exporter Indonesia should fall further next year offset by continued growth in LME stocks. MSN-STOCKS (Additional reporting by Fayen Wong, editing by William Hardy)

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