This morning in metals news: import prices rose by 1.0% in June; Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have reportedly reached a deal to resolve their recent oil output spat; and, lastly, Norsk Hydro recently announced the restart of its aluminum extrusion plant in Sjunnen, Sweden.

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US import prices rise by 1.0%

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U.S. import prices rose by 1.0% in June, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

Import prices had jumped by 1.4% in May.

“Rising prices for fuel and nonfuel imports contributed to both the June and May advances,” the BLS reported.

Meanwhile, U.S. export prices increased by 1.2% in June after rising by 2.2% in May.

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The Renewables Monthly Metals Index (MMI) dropped by 0.8% for this month’s reading.

(Editor’s note: This report also includes the MMI for grain-oriented electrical steel, or GOES.)

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Cobalt price bounces back

Last month, we noted a plunge in the cobalt price through the first two months of the second quarter.

In June, however, the cobalt price bounced back.

According to pricing information on the LME website, the LME cobalt price fell as low as $42,500 per metric ton in June before recovering. The price has settled in around $50,500 per metric ton over the last week.

Among other materials, cobalt goes into electric vehicle batteries, making it an object of increasingly higher demand. As automakers augment their electric vehicle offerings and announce long-term emissions targets, cobalt demand will increase.

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