Copper miners gain as prices edge up, holding below record high

U.S.- listed shares of copper miners rise premarket, tracking price of the red metal MET/L

Benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange CMCU3 up 1.5% at $12,405/metric ton

LME copper has surged 41% this year, lifted by worries about mine disruptions constricting supply, a weaker dollar and heavy buying by speculators

Prices rise but hover well below record highs hit in the previous session as investors lock in profits amid caution about end-users holding back purchases in a buoyant market

Global mining giants Rio Tinto RIO.N and BHP Group BHP.N up 1.4% and 1%, respectively

Southern Copper SCCO.N and Freeport-McMoRan FCX.N up 2% and 1.6%, respectively

Canada's Hudbay Minerals HBM.N, HBM.TO up 2.2%, Teck Resources TECK.N, TECKb.TO rises 1.1% and Ero Copper ERO.N, ERO.TO gains 2.8%