PRICING NOTICE: Proposal to amend pricing holiday schedule for cobalt hydroxide payable assessment

Fastmarkets is proposing to amend the pricing holiday schedule for its cobalt hydroxide payable indicator.

Fastmarkets plans to align the pricing holiday schedule for its cobalt hydroxide payable indicator with public holidays in China instead of those in England and Wales due to the fact that the assessment tracks activity on a cif China basis.

The detailed specifications for this assessment are listed below with proposed amendment in italics:

MB-CO-0021: Cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China, % payable of Fastmarkets’ standard-grade cobalt price (low end)
Quality: Units produced from large-scale mining activity, with the following chemical composition: Co 30% min, Mn 6.5% max, Mg 6.5% max, S 5% max; Cd 100ppm max; limited concentration of natural radioactivity: GB20664-2006 (suitable for customs clearance into China).
Quantity: Min 50 tonnes (cobalt content)
Location: cif China (other terms normalized)
Timing: 45 days
Unit: % payable of Fastmarkets’ standard-grade cobalt price (low end, $ per lb)
Payment terms: Letter of credit at sight, current and following price month (‘M’ and ‘M+1’)
Publication: Twice weekly, Wednesday and Friday, 3pm London time
Notes: Where the publication day falls on a public holiday in China, the assessment will be rolled over from previous pricing session.

The specifications of the cobalt hydroxide index 30% Co min, cif China, $/Ib remain unchanged.

The consultation period for this proposed amendment will end one month from the publication of this pricing notice, on Sunday February 14, and subjective to market feedback, the proposed amendment will take effect on Wednesday February 17.

Should the proposed amendment take effect, the cobalt hydroxide payable indicator will follow Chinese holidays and will be rolled over on the following dates in 2021:

Wednesday February 17 (Chinese New Year)
Wednesday May 5 (Labor Day)
Friday October 1 and Wednesday October 6 (National Day holiday)

To provide feedback on this amendment, or if you would like to provide price information by becoming a data submitter to Fastmarkets’ cobalt price assessments, please contact Michael Greenfield, Dalila Ouerghi and Susan Zou by email at: pricing@fastmarkets.com. Please add the subject heading ‘FAO: Michael Greenfield/Dalila Ouerghi /Susan Zou, re: cobalt hydroxide price.’

To see all Fastmarkets’ pricing methodology and specification documents go to The Fastmarkets Methodology.

What to read next
Fastmarkets proposes to launch a bimonthly price assessment for Brazil imported triplex boxboard, CIF delivered at main ports, 250-320 g/m².
Following an initial consultation with the market, and a review of the typical data sets that have been collected over recent months, Fastmarkets is proposing the changes to the name and specifications of the index for iron ore 62% Fe fines, fot Qingdao (MB-IRO-00011), and iron ore 62% Fe fines, fot Qingdao, $/tonne conversion (MB-IRO-00022), […]
China's black mass import rules, effective August 1, may reshape global battery recycling by tightening high-grade material supply and altering trade patterns, benefiting some suppliers while challenging others.
All of Fastmarkets’ China domestic price assessments published in its PPI Asia publication and the Fastmarkets platform will continue. The full list of UM Paper-branded prices to be discontinued can be found via the link below: https://www.fastmarkets.com/uploads/2025/07/All-UMPaper-Discontinuing-Markets-2025-1.pdf Fastmarkets remains fully committed to delivering trusted, independent, and transparent pricing for the Chinese pulp and paper market. Fastmarkets will continue […]
The publication of Fastmarkets’ AG-PLM-0019 refined bleached deodorised (RBD) palm olein, cfr South China assessment for Thursday July 24 was delayed due to a reporter error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated.
Chinese corn import activity continued to be sluggish in June, dropping to 156,445 tonnes, down by 32,000 tonnes, 17%, from 188,542 tonnes in May, according to the latest data from the country’s General Administration of Customs (GACC).