December copper futures are expected to open floor trading around 3 cents a pound lower Friday, based on electronic activity ahead of the pit session on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Copper consolidated lower overnight in London trading in response to a stronger U.S. dollar, analysts there said. The euro is down to $1.4755 from $1.4790 late Thursday afternoon. In screen trading ahead of the pit open, the December S&P 500 futures are down 1.60 points to 1,062.20. November crude oil is down 40 cents to $71.29 a barrel in overnight activity. The lone U.S. economic report on the calendar Friday is the August trade balance due out at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT). The forecast is for a deficit of $33.6 billion following a $31.96 billion deficit for July. In New York Thursday, copper futures hit their strongest level in nearly three weeks largely in reaction to a decline in the U.S. dollar. December copper rose 11.90 cents to settle at $2.8985 per pound. Inventories of copper stored in London Metal Exchange warehouses fell 250 metric tons Friday, leaving them at 346,600. The most recent Comex inventory data, released late Thursday afternoon, were up 544 short tons at 55,027 short tons. Once-a-week data released Fridays by the Shanghai Futures Exchange showed that copper stocks there fell 6,897 metric tons to 89,822.

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