December copper futures are expected to open floor trading around 3 cents a pound higher Monday, based on electronic activity ahead of the pit session on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Copper hit a new high for the year in London overnight--and Comex prices followed suit in screen trading - in a market boosted by the weakening dollar and generally more positive sentiment for the metals sector, even though analysts said the move may be outpacing the physical-market demand. Three-months copper in London peaked at $6,728 a metric ton, and the December futures got as high as $3.0690. In other markets that have the potential to impact metals in the short term, the euro is up to $1.5035 from $1.4998 late Friday afternoon. In screen trading ahead of the pit open, the December S&P 500 futures are up 1.30 points to 1,078.20. December crude oil is down slightly by 10 cents to $80.40 a barrel in overnight activity. U.S. economic data due out Monday include the Chicago Fed's National Activity Index at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1230 GMT), the Dallas Fed's manufacturing outlook survey at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT) and the Chicago Fed's Midwest manufacturing index at noon EDT (1600 GMT). Other major reports this week include consumer confidence on Tuesday, durable-goods orders and new-home sales on Wednesday, and jobless claims and gross domestic product on Thursday. Reports Friday will include the Employment Cost Index, personal income and spending, Chicago Purchasing Managers Index and University of Michigan consumer-sentiment index. In New York Friday, copper futures closed higher as technical momentum has carried the metal above $3. December copper added 3.65 cents to $3.0345 a pound. Inventories of copper stored in London Metal Exchange warehouses rose 1,175 metric tons Monday, leaving them at 368,850. The most recent Comex inventory data, released late Friday afternoon, were up 284 short tons at 58,658 short tons.

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