US MIDDAY: copper rallies

Copper rallied to its priciest level in more than two weeks on Friday, after Chinese economic data suggested Beijing's year-long fight against high inflation may be gaining the upper hand. In New York, the key December COMEX contract shot up 10.15 cents or 3 percent to settle at $3.4085 per lb, after dealing from $3.3125 to $3.4315, another high dating to late September.
But as has been the case this week, volumes thinned as prices advanced. Nearly 44,000 lots traded in New York, down almost 20 percent from the 30-day norm, according to preliminary Thomson Reuters data.