Midsession prices and market updates for New York precious metals and copper: GOLD * June up $4.20 at $941.60 an ounce at 11:44 a.m. EDT (1544 GMT) on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. * Narrow range from $935.80 to $944.00 -- the highest price since March 26. * Gold turned higher amid signs of further economic weakness after U.S. continued jobless claims rose to a record, and a day after the U.S. Federal Reserve gave a more pessimistic view for economic recovery. * Safe-haven buying emerged after credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's cut its outlook on Britain to negative for the first time on Thursday, saying government debt could approach 100 percent of gross domestic product. [ID:nLL627240] * COMEX estimated 11 a.m. volume at 64,219 lots. * Spot gold traded at $941.80 an ounce, up 0.4 percent from its late Wednesday quote in New York. * London gold fix $937.50 an ounce. SILVER * July up 3.50 cents at $14.315 an ounce, tracking gold's rise. * Ranged from $14.09 to $14.45. * COMEX estimated 11 a.m. volume at 8,741 lots. * Spot silver was at $14.25 an ounce, up 0.3 percent from its previous finish. * London silver fix at $14.23 an ounce. PLATINUM * July down $1.50 at $1,143.90 an ounce, but background support provided by U.S. President Barack Obama's long-term auto emissions plan boosted platinum's appeal as an auto catalytic converter to clean exhaust fumes. * Spot platinum at $1,137.00 an ounce, down 0.2 percent from its late Wednesday quote. PALLADIUM * June down $3.35, or 1.4 percent, at $232.50 an ounce on profit-taking. * Spot palladium was at $229.50 an ounce, down 0.2 percent from its previous finish. COPPER * July slumps 6.05 cents, or nearly 3 percent, to $2.0460 a lb on the New York Mercantile Exchange's COMEX. * Range from $2.0135 to to $2.10. * COMEX estimated futures volume at 13,423 lots by 11 a.m. * COMEX copper prices consolidate at lower levels, weighed down by weaker tone in equity markets after trimmed growth forecasts from the Federal Reserve and weak unemployment data - brokers. * Copper manages to hold above $2.00 a lb, with mild support seen from data showing manufacturing in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic area contracted in May at a slightly slower rate. [ID:nN21531804] * London Metal Exchange warehouse stocks declined 5,400 tonnes to 336,075 tonnes on Thursday. * Canceled warrants -- metal set to leave warehouses -- rose to 51,850 tonnes from 50,325 tonnes the previous day. * COMEX copper stocks increased by 637 short tons to 51,711 short tons as of Wednesday. * Japanese copper wire and cable shipments fell 26.3 percent in April from a year earlier to an estimated 52,200 tonnes - data provided by the Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers' Association showed.

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