This paper deals with the analysis of persistence in the prices of two technologically important metals, namely, lithium and cobalt. Along with them, we also examine four additional series corresponding to World, European, US and Japanese automobiles and component indices. For this purpose, we use long memory techniques based on fractional integration and cointegration. The results indicate that all the series are highly persistent, though we do not find any evidence supporting long run equilibrium relationships between the variables examined. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.