Chile expects February growth, copper output hit by miners strike

Chile expects economic activity growth to be hit by around one percentage point in February because of a strike at world No 1 copper mine Escondida, as copper output slides 12% year-on-year, the government said on Thursday. Escondida's approximately 2 500 unionised workers began a strike on February 9 after contract talks with mine owner BHP Billiton failed, boosting global copper prices on expectations of tighter supply.