Copper rose on Tuesday in London for a third straight session and was flat in New York, as reports that China will fast-track infrastructure investments encouraged investors to buy the industrial metal despite a firm dollar and uncertainty about Europe's ability to resolve its debt crisis.
In New York, the COMEX July contract fell 1.50 cents to settle at $3.4870 per lb, after dealing between $3.4795 and $3.5335. COMEX copper volumes remained thin, with nearly 48,000 lots traded in late New York business, down 40 percent from the 30-day norm, according to preliminary Thomson Reuters data.