On May 18, the market price of electrolytic cobalt declined Yuan 3,477/tonne to Yuan 419,909-422,909/tonne. Moreover, the market prices of cobalt sulfate and cobalt chloride remained flat at Yuan 92,000/t-95,000/t and 113,000-118,000/t respectively.Raw material costs have provided support for cobalt sulfate prices, leading mainstream smelters to maintain a firm stance on pricing. However, downstream ternary precursor manufacturers had limited acceptance of high prices, coupled with insufficient restocking demand, resulting in thin market trading. Some small-batch mainstream transaction prices have even fallen below Yuan 90,000/tonne. In addition, downstream Co3O4 enterprises (used in the production of lithium cobalt oxide battery materials) have shown limited acceptance of high-priced cobalt chloride. The contraction in end-user orders has led to reduced market inquiries, and some offers have been revised slightly downward.