The price of copper in the international market has climbed to about 1.55 US dollars a pound, the highest in 16 years, local press reported Thursday.

The metal was traded at 1.5533 dollars per pound on Thursday, 1.54811 on Wednesday and 1.52180 on Tuesday at the London Metal Exchange.

Specialists expect the average price to hit 1.52775 dollars this month , and 1.47426 for the whole year.

However, the price of three-month copper futures ended Thursday at 1.49096 dollars a pound, down 0.21 percent from Wednesday's 1.49413.

As a result, copper stock at the London Metal Exchange has dropped 350 metric tons to 49,100, the report said.