Last week, the spot price of cobalt intermediates was quoted at USD $25.826.0 per pound, unchanged from the previous week. Market liquidity remained extremely tight, with no transactions concluded. Only earlier deals were settled at USD $25.8/lb, while current offers are maintained at USD $26.0/lb. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced an extension of the enforcement period for export quotas. In detail, unutilized quotas from the fourth quarter of 2025 must be verified and written off by April 30, while quotas for the first quarter of 2026 may be deferred until June 30. However, the current approval process for cobalt intermediates remains slow, and the structural tightness in domestic raw material supply has yet to ease, providing bottom-line support for cobalt prices. Shipment loading and dispatch also continue to proceed at a sluggish pace. Consequently, there are concerns that inbound arrivals in the Chinese domestic market are unlikely to improve in April.