Copper turned higher in late trading on Tuesday, but still below a four-month high, as investors continued to bet on tighter supplies, which overcame early pressure from a weak euro and Europe's ongoing debt crisis. In New York, the key March COMEX contract eked out a 90-cent gain to settle at $3.8075 per lb, near the top end of its $3.7495 to $3.8170 session range, and last Friday's four-month top at $3.8340.
Volumes stood at 55,800 lots in late New York trade, almost a quarter above the 30-day norm, according to preliminary Thomson Reuters data.