PRICING NOTICE: Delayed publication of cobalt price assessment

The publication of Fastmarkets’ alloy grade and standard grade cobalt price assessments for August 7 were delayed because of extenuating circumstances - namely, an unusually high level of market activity related to industry developments.

Glencore’s decision on Wednesday 7 to shut its Mutanda copper-cobalt mine by the end of 2019 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) triggered an unusually high level of deals being concluded in the spot market while consumers and distributors sought to purchase material ahead of the end of the year.

The shutdown of Mutanda by the end of this year could alter the supply balance in the cobalt market in 2020. Consumers seeking material now to avoid paying higher prices towards the 2020; this complicated the gathering of pricing data from the market on Wednesday.

Fastmarkets assessed alloy grade and standard grade cobalt prices at $12.50-14 per lb and at $12.25-13.95 per lb, in-warehouse, on Wednesday August 7, both up from the previous assessment of $12.40-13 per lb and $12.20-13 per lb respectively.

To provide feedback on the delayed publication of the cobalt price assessment, please contact Martim Facada by email at pricing@fastmarkets.com. Please add the subject heading ‘Re: FAO: Martim Facada, delayed publication of cobalt price assessment.’

To see all Fastmarkets’ pricing methodology and specification documents go to www.fastmarkets.com/about-us/methodology.

What to read next
Asian spot copper premiums rose in the week ended Tuesday July 23, with premiums imported into China increasing on improved arbitrage terms. In the US market, supply failed to keep up with strong demand while in Europe participants were mostly off for the summer holidays
In the fourth episode of Fastmarkets critical minerals podcast Fast Forward, Freeport-McMoRan CEO and president Kathleen Quirk tells host Andrea Hotter why there's a preference to build and not build new supplies of copper right now
Demand for primary aluminium from the green transition remains a “brighter spot” for consumption amid an otherwise challenging downstream demand outlook, Eivind Kallevik, Norsk Hydro’s chief executive officer and president, told Fastmarkets in an exclusive interview on Tuesday July 23
Acquisition Company Limited (ACG) has agreed to buy the Gediktepe mine in Turkey — the company’s first deal as it works to build a sizeable mid-tier copper producer, its chairman and chief executive officer told Fastmarkets.
Copper market price speculation is driving the base metals narrative, head of research at UK-based services provider Sucden Financial Daria Efanova said during the company’s third-quarter metals webinar on Wednesday July 17.
Chinese mining giant CMOC reported a 178% year-on-year increase in cobalt metal production for the first six months of 2024, according to an announcement by the company on Friday July 12