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Mid-Nickel",103.5,99.73,3.78,13.78,6.78,[518,519,520,522,524,526,528,530,532,534,536,538],{"date":213,"value":512},{"date":216,"value":513},{"date":219,"value":521},99.19,{"date":222,"value":523},96.02,{"date":225,"value":525},98.23,{"date":467,"value":527},99.24,{"date":329,"value":529},101.29,{"date":339,"value":531},87.61,{"date":341,"value":533},92.44,{"date":344,"value":535},90.96,{"date":347,"value":537},92.24,{"date":350,"value":539},95.09,{"id":541,"uuid":542,"name":543,"slug":544,"full_slug":545,"content":546,"relatedArticles":696,"relatedVideos":697},210805722714834,"ca1fc1e5-3ce9-4425-b1c7-13576e16b2f7","Cobalt hydroxide market stuck in wide bid-offer spread as sellers reject sub-$20 bids","cobalt-hydroxide-market-stuck-in-wide-bid-offer-spread-as-sellers-reject-sub-20-bids","article/cobalt-hydroxide-market-stuck-in-wide-bid-offer-spread-as-sellers-reject-sub-20-bids",{"_uid":547,"date":548,"tags":549,"editor":559,"content":569,"excerpt":668,"featured":51,"reporter":669,"component":680,"seo_title":681,"categories":682,"visibility":685,"data_vis_image":686,"featured_image":689,"seo_description":693,"side_panel_banner":626,"formattedDate":694,"formattedArticleDate":695},"3b56c8e8-e5c0-458f-a403-d98020a1807a","2026-08-19 00:00",[550,553,556],{"slug":551,"name":552},"cobalt-prices","Cobalt prices",{"slug":554,"name":555},"drc","DRC",{"slug":557,"name":558},"sulphuric-acid","sulphuric acid",[560],{"slug":561,"name":562,"content":563},"benjamin-roche","Benjamin Roche",{"job_title":564,"image":565,"bio":567,"linkedin":568},"Editor – Energy Transition Supply Chains",{"filename":566},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/800x800/66d6674fb8/benjamin-roche.png","Benjamin is Benchmark's Editor for Energy Transition Supply Chains, covering both upstream products like critical minerals and downstream products including energy storage systems and electric vehicles. He has previous experience covering trade flows, tariffs and the effects of geopolitics on supply chains.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrochecontent/",{"type":570,"attrs":571,"content":572},"doc",{"backgroundColor":49},[573,601,611,616,627,632,637,651,656,663],{"type":574,"attrs":575,"content":576},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[577,580,590,592,599],{"text":578,"type":579},"Cobalt hydroxide ","text",{"text":581,"type":579,"marks":582},"prices",[583],{"type":584,"attrs":585},"link",{"href":586,"uuid":587,"anchor":49,"target":588,"linktype":589},"/article/from-cautiously-bullish-to-downward-pressure-q2-cobalt-price-summary","5feddc20-4c31-4cc7-b674-cc09ab708b66","_blank","story",{"text":591,"type":579}," (CIF Asia) have fallen sharply over recent weeks, though the shift reflects a wide and largely untested spread between bids and offers rather than a real collapse in ",{"text":593,"type":579,"marks":594},"market value",[595],{"type":584,"attrs":596},{"href":597,"uuid":598,"anchor":49,"target":588,"linktype":589},"/article/superalloys-are-second-largest-demand-driver-for-cobalt","f78324f9-30d7-412e-b7b4-6d589074870b",{"text":600,"type":579},". With no confirmed transactions concluded during the period, Benchmark's hydroxide index fell by over 11% week-on-week to $17–22/lb, capturing a market in which sellers are offering material at around $22/lb, while buyers are bidding at $17–20/lb.",{"type":602,"attrs":603,"content":605},"heading",{"level":604,"textAlign":49},2,[606],{"text":607,"type":579,"marks":608},"Sellers hold firm as market awaits first mover",[609],{"type":610},"bold",{"type":574,"attrs":612,"content":613},{"textAlign":49},[614],{"text":615,"type":579},"Benchmark senior analyst George Ingall said that sellers have “broadly dismissed bids below $20/lb as unrealistic, unwilling to transact at levels they view as disconnected from fundamentals, while buyers have shown little urgency to move higher, leaving the market in a standoff with no clear mechanism for narrowing the spread”.",{"type":617,"attrs":618},"blok",{"id":619,"body":620},"423d091f-05f9-47bb-9825-15c506fba91e",[621],{"id":622,"_uid":623,"type":624,"component":625,"fixed_height":626,"use_fixed_height":50,"fixed_height_mobile":626,"fixed_height_tablet":626},"30011015","i-7cd371f7-f4e1-470a-901e-00314889b5a3","visualisation","ContentFlourish","",{"type":574,"attrs":628,"content":629},{"textAlign":49},[630],{"text":631,"type":579},"Market participants speaking to Benchmark generally believe $20–21/lb is an achievable level in the near term, but note that the market has yet to test it. As one participant put it, someone has to be the first to say yes to $20 and above before the rest of the market is likely to follow, at which point the current impasse could break relatively quickly.",{"type":574,"attrs":633,"content":634},{"textAlign":49},[635],{"text":636,"type":579},"Adding weight to the view that higher pricing is achievable, Chinese hydroxide stocks are reportedly depleting. Ingall noted that “tightening inventory would typically be expected to support sellers' position and encourage bids higher but, with neither side willing to move first, this supportive fundamental has not yet translated into an actual transaction or a narrower spread”.",{"type":574,"attrs":638,"content":639},{"textAlign":49},[640,642,649],{"text":641,"type":579},"A further factor shaping the standoff is the positioning of major international traders holding ",{"text":643,"type":579,"marks":644},"DRC-origin hydroxide",[645],{"type":584,"attrs":646},{"href":647,"uuid":648,"anchor":49,"target":588,"linktype":589},"/article/cobalt-copper-and-controls-drc-regional-spotlight","23058151-3c90-4933-a151-d618baff03e1",{"text":650,"type":579},", who have reportedly moved material out of the DRC but have yet to place it into Chinese bonded warehouses.",{"type":574,"attrs":652,"content":653},{"textAlign":49},[654],{"text":655,"type":579},"“This suggests a deliberate decision to hold volume off-market until pricing stabilises, rather than risk releasing material into a market still searching for a clearing price,” Ingall noted. “Once this material does enter circulation, it will be an important factor to watch, though its continued withholding suggests sellers see limited benefit in forcing a sale at current bid levels.”",{"type":602,"attrs":657,"content":658},{"level":604,"textAlign":49},[659],{"text":660,"type":579,"marks":661},"Sulphate and MHP reflect similar directional pressure",[662],{"type":610},{"type":574,"attrs":664,"content":665},{"textAlign":49},[666],{"text":667,"type":579},"The broader feedstock market has shown comparable softness. EXW China Cobalt sulphate prices fell by over 3% week-on-week to RMB 72,000–78,000/tonne, with some offers reported below the RMB 70,000/tonne mark, though most participants do not expect trades to clear at such levels. CIF Asia MHP payables fell sharply, down over 11% to 70.0–90.0%, reflecting a similar widening in the gap between where buyers and sellers are willing to transact.","Cobalt hydroxide prices (CIF Asia) have fallen sharply over recent weeks, though the shift reflects a wide and largely untested spread between bids and offers rather than a real collapse in market value. With no confirmed transactions concluded during the period, Benchmark's hydroxide index fell by over 11% week-on-week to $17–22/lb, capturing a market in which sellers are offering material at around $22/lb, while buyers are bidding at $17–20/lb.",[670],{"slug":671,"name":672,"content":673},"george-ingall","George Ingall",{"job_title":674,"image":675,"bio":677,"linkedin":678,"markets_covered":679},"Senior Price Analyst - Rare Earths & Battery Minerals",{"filename":676},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/576x576/a492676b0f/george-ingall.png","George specialises in rare earths and battery minerals, with expertise in tracking market movements, pricing trends, and supply-demand dynamics across critical raw materials. Experienced in delivering clear market insights and analysis that support commercial strategy, investment decisions, and industry understanding in fast-evolving global commodities markets.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeingall/","Rare Earths, Cobalt, Natural Graphite, Synthetic Graphite, Anode","article","Cobalt hydroxide market stuck in wide bid-offer spread",[683],{"slug":684,"name":115},"cobalt","private",{"id":49,"alt":49,"name":626,"focus":49,"title":49,"source":49,"filename":626,"copyright":49,"fieldtype":687,"meta_data":688},"asset",{},{"id":690,"alt":626,"name":626,"focus":626,"title":626,"source":626,"filename":691,"copyright":626,"fieldtype":687,"meta_data":692,"is_external_url":50},129066603174195,"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/df62720a42/bm-cobalt-27-warehouse-e1527863094748.png",{},"Cobalt hydroxide pricing has fallen sharply over recent weeks, though the shift reflects a wide and largely untested spread between bids and offers rather than a real collapse in market value.","Aug 19, 2026","19th August 2026",[],[],1787328805927]