Unlike most other commodities, cobalt is primarily a by-product – with 60% derived from copper and 38% from nickel – so how will changes in those markets change the picture for cobalt in the coming months following a year of price weakness and oversupply in 2024?

It was already getting more difficult to source nickel qualified as compliant to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Under a future Donald Trump administration, it’s likely to get harder still, in the short-term at least.

Li-Cycle has successfully closed on an upsized loan from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to support the development of the its Rochester Hub Project, the company announced alongside its third-quarter earnings report on Thursday November 7.

Read Fastmarkets' monthly battery raw materials market update for November 2024, focusing on raw materials including lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and more

Li-Cycle announced on Thursday October 31 that it had entered an agreement with Glencore to sell 100% of the premium nickel-cobalt mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) production at its stalled hub in Rochester, New York – a step that could support Li-Cycle’s efforts to finalize a loan with the US Department of Energy (DOE).

Quarterly figures released by global miner Glencore on Wednesday October 30 showed that zinc concentrate output was dropping in a tight market while overall nickel output was down despite an increase in briquettes.

Nickel premiums remained stable worldwide, with the London Metal Exchange's three-month nickel price hitting its lowest point since mid-September.

Read Fastmarkets' monthly battery raw materials market update for October 2024, focusing on raw materials including lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and more

Market participants shared insight into the market dynamics for copper, nickel, zinc, lead and tin during LME Week, which ran September 30-October 4

Read the full transcript from episode 6 of Fast Forward podcast on trading power and the role of the London Metal Exchange (LME) in the energy transition with CEO Matthew Chamberlain.