Booming demand for cellphone and electric-vehicle batteries has created a once-unthinkable metals-industry player: the pure cobalt company. Cobalt prices have risen 270% on the London Metal Exchange to about $80,000 a metric ton since early 2016, creating an opening for companies to specialize in a metal once seen as a waste product. Cobalt is now valued for its ability to withstand the intense heat generated by lithium-ion batteries.

Source: Wall Street Journal January 29, 2018 13:00 UTC