COMEX copper edged under $5 per pound mark on Thursday morning in Asia amid escalating US-China tensions that has darkened the global demand outlook. US-China trade friction is weighing on sentiments and is keeping Copper under check after it hit more than two-month high earlier this month. The commodity currently trades at $4.97 per pound, down 0.7% on the day. Meanwhile, on the Wall Street, the Dow edged down 17.15 points or less than a tenth of a percent to 46,253.31, but the S&P 500 rose 26.75 points or 0.4 percent to 6,671.06 and the Nasdaq climbed 148.38 points or 0.7 percent to 22,679.08.