Investing.com - Investing.com - Copper futures advanced for the second consecutive session on Wednesday, as investors awaited the release of a U.S. jobs report later in the day. On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, copper futures for March delivery traded in a range between USD3.192 a pound and USD3.216 a pound, the highest since January 31. The March contract last traded at USD3.212 a pound during European morning hours, up 0.6%. Copper prices settled Tuesday's session 0.27% higher to end at USD3.192 a pound. Futures were likely to find support at USD3.175 a pound, the low from February 3 and resistance at USD3.230 a pound, the high from January 31. Investors looked ahead to key U.S. economic data later in the day for further indications on the strength of the economy and the future course of monetary policy. The U.S. is to release the ADP report on private sector job creation, which leads the government's highly-anticipated nonfarm payrolls report by two days, while the ISM is to publish a report service sector activity. Copper prices have been under heavy selling pressure in recent weeks as mounting concerns over the global economy dampened demand for growth-linked assets. The industrial metal is sensitive to the economic growth outlook because of its widespread uses across industries. Elsewhere on the Comex, gold for April delivery rose 0.45% to trade at USD1,256.60 a troy ounce, while silver for March delivery advanced 0.9% to trade at USD19.59 a troy ounce.

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