Standard-grade cobalt was trading at a premium over alloy grade for the first time since February 2019 on Friday January 29 amid demand for briquettes and rallying payables for cobalt hydroxide.
Some market participants had identified the potential for the standard grade price to gain ground ahead of alloy-grade in recent weeks due to demand for metal from China's cobalt salts sector, but the two had traded at parity until now after China's State Reserve Bureau-buying last year tightened cut cathode supply.This compares with Fastmarkets' price assessment for cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam at $19.15-19.75 per...