New York, Aug. 25 - Copper futures closed slightly higher Wednesday on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (COMEX), rising for the fourth straight session.
Copper futures were up 0.95 cents to 1.55 cents at the close, with September delivery, the most actively traded metal, up 0.95 cents, or 0.22 percent, at $4.2675 a pound.
September copper traded in a range of $4.2385 to $4.3025.
It hit an all-time high of $4.888 on May 10. Since then, copper's volatility has largely reflected the prospect of an early fed rate hike, the appreciation of the DOLLAR and China's efforts to curb unreasonable increases in commodity prices.
China's initial success in containing an outbreak caused by a mutant delta strain greatly eased investor concerns about the impact on economic growth and metals demand, helping to lift investor risk appetite and fuel a rally in commodities including copper and crude oil.
Market participants are looking to a meeting of Federal Reserve central bankers later this week for clues about the central bank's moves on interest rates and tapering of its monetary stimulus.
On the external market, copper for October delivery on the Shanghai Futures Exchange closed up 600 yuan at 69,100 yuan a tonne. October bonded copper futures on the Shanghai International Energy Exchange (INE) rose 590 yuan to 61,270 yuan a tonne.
On Wednesday, copper futures traded 82,313 lots, compared with 92,925 in the previous session. Empty lots stood at 192,968, compared with 197,508 in the previous session.
