Cobalt & Copper Confidential

  For the past few years, the cobalt market has been plagued by a surplus, resulting in a downward trend in prices. Nevertheless, the price of cobalt recently increased slightly, rising from USD 34,180 per ton to USD 34,930 per ton, marking the first upward movement in six months. The price increase was caused by market participants restocking cobalt metal as well as a small increase in demand in the United States.                                                           Cobalt price in USD/per ton over the last 6 months. Source: TRADING ECONOMICS   Despite this short-term price increase, the cobalt price outlook remains bearish. The primary reason for this is a market oversupply of cobalt, which has resulted in inventory buildup. Supply is expected to increase by 24% overall ...

  Copper prices have been falling for months due to various factors such as China's economic slowdown, inflation and interest rates. However, this past week saw a dramatic drop in copper prices after two major US banks collapsed, triggering a wave of panic and uncertainty in the financial markets. The banks that failed were Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank, both of which catered to the tech industry and had large exposure to risky loans and investments. The banks faced a bank run as depositors withdrew their money en masse, leading to a liquidity crisis that forced regulators to close them on March 12. This was the first time since 2008 that a US bank with more than $10 billion in assets was shut down by regulators. The collapse of these banks had a ripple effect on the global economy, as they were connected to many other financial institutions and businesses. The stock market plunged, credit markets froze and investor confidence plummeted. Copper prices also suffered as trad...