US copper futures were soft in early trade on Friday, continuing a phase of consolidation from this week's sharp swings as US industrial production data met expectations and provided no fresh direction for industrial commodities.
Benchmark copper for March delivery slipped 2.95 cents to $3.3580 per lb by 10:14 a.m. EST (1514 GMT) on the New York Mercantile Exchange's COMEX division. Range from $3.3535 to $3.4260. COMEX estimated futures volume at 7,727 lots by 9 a.m.