Nov 4 (Reuters) - Copper prices advanced on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve signalled it would stay patient before raising rates to sustain the country’s economic growth and employment recovery. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange rose 1.6% to $9,607 a tonne by 0427 GMT, rebounding from two straight sessions of losses. The most-traded December copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange was almost unchanged at 70,430 yuan ($11,015.88) a tonne. The Fed said it would trim its massive bond-buying programme starting this month, but stay patient and wait for more job growth before raising interest rates. Copper is often used as a gauge of global economic health due to its widespread application in many sectors. A delay in U.S. rate hikes is likely to sustain growth in the world’s biggest economy. FUNDAMENTALS * LME aluminium rose 0.9% to $2,680 a tonne, nickel advanced 1.1% to $19,380 a tonne, and zinc was up 1.2% at $3,347.50 a tonne. * ShFE aluminium fell 1.1% to 19,880 yuan a tonne, nickel decreased 1.5% to 142,680 yuan a tonne, while tin rose 1.8% to 278,200 yuan a tonne. * For the top stories in metals and other news, click or MARKETS NEWS * Share markets firmed after the Fed engineered an orderly start to unwinding its massive stimulus programme, though doubts about the inflation outlook did push up longer-dated bond yields. DATA/EVENTS (GMT) 0700 Germany Industrial Orders MM Sept 0850 France Markit Serv, Comp PMI Oct 0855 Germany Markit Serv, Comp Final PMI Oct 0900 EU Markit Serv, Comp Final PMI Oct 1200 UK BOE Bank Rate Nov 1200 UK GB BOE QE Corp Nov 1200 Brazil Industrial Output MM, YY Sept 1230 US International Trade $ Sept 1230 US Initial Jobless Claim weekly 1300 Brazil Markit Serv, Comp PMI Oct $1 = 6.3935 yuan Reporting by Mai Nguyen in Hanoi; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu