Copper edged higher on Friday in a muted response to better-than-forecast US employment data that offered further evidence that a recovery in the world's largest economy was on track. In New York, the key March COMEX contract settled with a 0.85-cent gain to $3.4350 per lb, after moving between $3.3935 and $3.4650. Despite the subdued price action, open interest has been on the rise this week, hitting its highest level since late November.