Copper futures settled higher on Tuesday as profits at China's industrial firms grew at a slower pace suggested more stimulus is needed to shore up growth in the world's top metal consumer. Copper prices improved further on news that workers union at Peru's large Las Bambas copper mine went on strike for an indefinite period.
Copper futures for December delivery gained $0.0420 to settle at $3.80 a pound on the Comex metals division of New York Mercantile Exchange. Copper on the London Metal Exchange was up by 1.3 percent at $8,473 a ton.