[SMM Cobalt Morning Meeting Summary] Post-holiday demand recovery limited, cost support weakening, material prices under pressure
The cobalt industry chain remained weak after the holiday, with sluggish demand and lower costs jointly weighing on prices. Refined cobalt consolidated at lows, traders raised spot-futures price spreads, and downstream buying remained primarily need-based restocking. Trading in intermediate products stalled, with a clear gap between the floor purchase price of $14.5/lb and downstream acceptance prices below $13/lb. Cobalt sulphate offers held near 60,000 yuan/mt, but transactions were difficult, and a lower raw material coefficient further weakened cost support. Cobalt chloride and Co3O4 continued to grind lower, enterprises expanded production cuts and suspensions, and new procurement was insufficient. Leading cobalt powder offers fell to around 360,000 yuan/mt, while small and medium-sized enterprises dropped to 330,000–340,000 yuan/mt, with downstream high-priced inventory dragging on purchases. Ternary cathode precursor prices weakened, export orders were relatively strong, domestic production schedule recovery was limited, and spot order coefficients were expected to trend lower. Ternary cathode materials consolidated at lows, battery cell manufacturers held ample inventory and restocked cautiously; LCO was pressured by both falling costs and weak demand. Going forward, close attention should be paid to end-user order recovery, inventory destocking, and the sustainability of restocking.