METALS-Base metals gain as banking crisis worries ease, dollar weakens

BEIJING, March 17 (Reuters) - Base metals prices rose on Friday, as a host of bailout measures to avert a banking crisis soothed investors' nerves, while a weaker dollar and hopes for Chinese demand recovery also boosted sentiment.

Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange rose 0.9% to $8,597.50 a tonne by 0149 GMT, while the most-traded April copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange was up 0.1% to 67,180 yuan ($9,747.82) a tonne.

Copper prices, often seen as an economic bellwether, have been largely dominated by a rout in global markets after U.S.-based Silicon Valley Bank collapsed last week, followed by Credit Suisse shares tanking this week.

Investors welcomed news of a large group of banks infusing cash into U.S. lender First Republic Bank (FRC) and Swiss National Bank providing a lifeline to the embattled Swiss lender Credit Suisse.

Other metal prices also tracked global equities higher.

LME aluminium climbed 1.1% to $2,293.50 a tonne, zinc increased 1% to $2,886, lead advanced 0.3% to $2,073 and tin ticked up 2.2% to $22,695.

The dollar fell on Friday, making it more attractive for non-dollar holders to buy the greenback-priced commodity.

Sentiment was also supported by expectations of gradually recovering demand from top metals consumer China.

China's home prices gained momentum nationally in February, rising for a second consecutive month driven by pent-up demand even in smaller cities, but prices have yet to recoup all their losses and there remains a sizable stock of unsold homes.

SHFE aluminium added 0.3% to 18,195 yuan a tonne, nickel advanced 1.5% to 177,850 yuan, zinc was up 0.5% to 22,490 yuan and tin gained 0.7% to 183,140 yuan.

For the top stories in metals and other news, click or ($1 = 6.8918 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Siyi Liu and Dominique Patton; Editing by Rashmi Aich)