DEC 11 THURSDAY

Copper Gains on Speculation Auto Industry Aid Will Help Demand

Copper prices rose on speculation that the U.S. government will

approve a rescue plan for the country’s automakers, boosting

demand for the metal.

Copper futures for March delivery rose 2.7 cents, or 1.9 percent,

to $1.4705 a pound at 9:58 a.m. on the Comex division of the

New York Mercantile Exchange. The metal rose for the second

time in nine sessions and was down 53 percent this year

before today.

Copper inventories rose 1,025 tons to 303,600 tons today, the most

since February 2004.