SMM, September 3:
The scrap battery market remained largely stable today. A few smelters raised their recycling prices by 50 yuan/mt, mainly for scrap EV batteries, while most recyclers kept their quotes unchanged. Recently, driven by the pullback in lead prices, faster selling by suppliers, and the start of the school season, scrap battery recycling volume rose 30%-40% MoM. In the survey sample, about 80% of traders adopted a quick in-and-out approach, with days of inventories mostly around 2 days. The pace of cargo circulation improved marginally, but overall supply in the market remained tight. In the short term, scrap battery prices are expected to stay largely stable, with minor adjustments possible by region and category. Going forward, attention should be paid to support at key lead price levels, downstream procurement, raw material arrivals at smelters, and the implementation of price adjustments after the end of price-guarantee periods in some regions.
