Last week, the overall cobalt industry chain continued its weak off-season pattern, with prices moving divergently across segments while the underlying pressure remained unchanged. In the cobalt salt segment, cobalt sulfate was weighed down by the continued decline in the MHP cobalt payables, further weakening cost support. Buyers largely based their inquiries on previous low-priced old stocks to push prices down. There were market rumors of extremely low-priced old-stock transactions, yet no bulk new-cargo deals were observed. Cobalt chloride saw virtually no transactions, as high inventories at Co3O4 producers combined with weak demand exerted double pressure. Electrolytic cobalt extended its oversold rebound early in the week. However, the peak season of "Golden September and Silver October" failed to materialize as expected. Coupled with weaker cobalt intermediates prices that dampened sentiment, prices retreated under pressure.