Copper prices rallied to one-week highs on Wednesday, with values in London hurdling back up above the $7,000 per tonne level in late business as the dollar weakened and supply threats mounted at one of the world's top copper mines. Benchmark copper for March delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange's COMEX division jumped 6.55 cents, or 2.1 percent, to settle at $3.2035 a lb, after dealing between $3.1240 and $3.2115, its loftiest level since December 16.
On the London Metal Exchange, copper for three-months delivery ended at $7,000 a tonne, up $119, or 1.7 percent, from the close on Tuesday. In after-hours trade, prices of the metal hit $7,049.75, closing in on a 14-month high above $7,100 a tonne reached in early December.