---- Ein chinesischer Arbeiter griffe Herstellung von gewickelten Kupferrohre eine Fabrik in Nantong City, East China Jiangsu Provinz, 4. Oktober 2012. Copp
--FILE--A Chinese worker handles production of coiled copper tubes at a factory in Nantong city, east Chinas Jiangsu province, 4 October 2012. Copper futures rose the most in three weeks as a gauge of manufacturing climbed to an 18-month high in China, the worlds top consumer of industrial metals. Chinas factory measure from HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Economics showed a preliminary July reading of 52, compared with the 51 median estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News. A level above 50 indicates expansion. Copper inventories monitored by the London Metal Exchange extended a slump to the lowest since August 2008. Copper futures for September delivery climbed 1.9 percent to settle at $3.2665 a pound at 1:14 p.m. on the Comex inNew York, the biggest gain for a most-active contract since July 2. Trading was 24 percent above the 100-day average for this time, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
