On September 21, the market price of electrolytic cobalt increased Yuan 1,500/tonne to Yuan 277,591-280,091/tonne. In addition, the market prices of cobalt chloride and cobalt sulfate remained flat at Yuan 75,000-77,000/tonne and 61,000/t-63,000/tonne respectively.On the supply side, China's imports of cobalt hydrometallurgical intermediates in August totaled approximately 7,876 tonnes, a sharp month-on-month decline of 51%. This was mainly due to weak purchasing appetite among smelters amid falling cobalt salt prices, compounded by typhoons disrupting port operations. However, smelters are currently mostly maintaining stable production, and overall spot supply in circulation remains relatively ample.On the demand side, downstream ternary precursor and cathode material producers showed insufficient purchasing appetite, mostly restocking only for immediate needs or drawing down existing inventories, and displaying considerable resistance to high-priced raw materials.