SHANGHAI, July 9 -- THE Chinese yuan should gain slightly this week amid optimism over further tightening in state monetary policy in the second half of this year, according to analysts.

The national currency closed at 7.6013 against the US dollar on Friday, up from the 7.6137 a week earlier.

The currency withdrew late last week due to lack of sufficient trading after rising past the 7.6 mark on Tuesday.

The recent small gains were prompted by a belief that China will raise interest rates and perhaps take other steps to rein in its booming economy in the second half, analysts said.

They predicted key economic barometers will remain robust despite earlier measures including four interest rate hikes and several increases in bank reserve margins since the middle of last year.