The Chinese domestic cobalt sulfate price hit a fresh low for 2019 mid-week amid persistent selling pressure among producers who are mostly struggling to break even, sources said.
Fastmarkets' assessment of the price for Chinese cobalt sulfate fell to 44,500-45,500 yuan ($6,444-6,589) per tonne on Wednesday May 22, down from 46,000-48,000 yuan per tonne previously. This placed the assessment at its lowest recorded level since June 2018 when Fastmarkets launched the Chinese cobalt sulfate assessment, which is also the lowest level since late 2016, market participants said. Waning demand from downstream battery manufacturers and electric vehicle (EV) makers as a result of the latest China EV subsidy policy continue to subdue spot buying appetites....