Copper prices are rising on Thursday, investors are generally optimistic about the prospects for demand from China, the largest consumer of this industrial metal, trading data show.

December futures on copper on the Comex exchange rose by 0.72% to $3.4618 a pound (about 0.45 kilograms).

At the end of Wednesday's trading on the London Metal Exchange (LME), the cost of a ton of copper with delivery in three months decreased by 0.88% to $7,690, aluminum - by 1.91%, to $2,202.5, zinc - by 0.96%, to $3,098.5.