[2019.06.24 minutes of internal morning meeting of cobalt lithium new energy] Ternary material production structure adjustment lithium hydroxide trading volume is scarce

Published: Jun 24, 2019 09:56

SMM, June 24 / PRNewswire-Asianet /-

Battery Terminal Market:

The transition period for new energy subsidies ended this week, impulse behavior continued this month but the overall momentum has weakened much, main engine factories are mostly on the sidelines, and pressure on the industry to cut costs is still under way. some models may face further price increases after the end of the subsidy transition period. At the same time, the industry demand has been released ahead of time, and due to the recent frequent safety accidents of new energy vehicles, downstream demand is not good. At present, the competition between square power battery and cylindrical battery market is fierce, and the price downward range is relatively large. Due to the concentration of market participants, the price of soft package battery is mainly affected by the decline in raw material prices, and the price reduction is limited.

Upstream raw material price:

Cobalt: domestic metal cobalt spot and speculative disk market double downturn, big factory quotation is strong, but downstream wait-and-see mood is heavy, purchase is cautious, importer in order to promote transaction, no longer firm quotation. In terms of cobalt hydroxide, the profit space of the smelter is still insufficient, and the market expects that the future demand will not improve, the willingness to purchase intermediate goods is not good, and some cobalt hydroxide suppliers have loosened their quotations, but the quoted price is still farther than the psychological price of the buyer. It is expected that the price game will continue for a while, and the price center of gravity will continue to be revised down. In the third quarter, the domestic consumer market was relatively stable, and the dynamic market demand shrank. Under the buyer's market price reduction pressure will be gradually transferred from the middle reaches of the material plant to the upstream smelter, mine end, SMM maintained the previous judgment, the future cobalt mine prices are expected to gradually decline, overseas high price smelting prices will gradually disappear.

Lithium: the price of lithium carbonate began to decline last week, although there were fewer transactions in the middle of the month, but the market mentality was bearish. Battery-grade lithium carbonate manufacturers said orders fell significantly in July from June and had to be sold at reduced prices in response to market changes. Industrial lithium carbonate manufacturers revealed that most of the current implementation of orders at the beginning of the month or the end of last month, but feel that the downstream inquiry is not as positive as before, worried about the sales situation in the third quarter. The transaction of lithium hydroxide is rare, not only because there are few transactions in the middle of the month, but also because the transition period of subsidy retrogression will end, and the downstream ternary cathode material factory will adjust the production structure. Although the premium between lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate is shrinking, we think there is still room for decline, and they are expected to shrink to about 5000 yuan per ton this year.

News: on June 18, 2019, organized by the National Technical Committee for Standardization of Nonferrous Metals, a working conference on "battery grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate" and other five non-ferrous metal standards was held in Yichun, Jiangxi Province. among them, the compilation of the national standard of "battery grade lithium hydroxide" was discussed and drawn up. In the formulation of the new national standard for battery grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate, the core changes are reflected in the following points: 1. In terms of scope of application, the new national standard is suitable for "battery grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate produced by various methods", while the old national standard is suitable for "battery grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate for the production of secondary batteries"; 2. In terms of product classification, the new national standard adds the classification of "crystal type and powder type"; 3. In the inspection items, the new national standard has added the detection standard of "B (boron) and magnetic foreign body".

 

SMM Cobalt Lithium Research team

Hu Yan 021 51666809

Hong Lu 021 51666814

Ning Ziwei 021 51666780

Qin Jingjing 021 51666828

Long press attention

Learn more about the highlights

 

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn
For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn
Related News
In January, national passenger car producers' new energy wholesale estimates reached 900,000 units, up 1% YoY.
14 hours ago
In January, national passenger car producers' new energy wholesale estimates reached 900,000 units, up 1% YoY.
Read More
In January, national passenger car producers' new energy wholesale estimates reached 900,000 units, up 1% YoY.
In January, national passenger car producers' new energy wholesale estimates reached 900,000 units, up 1% YoY.
According to the latest data from the Passenger Car Association, in December 2025, producers with new energy wholesale sales exceeding 10,000 units accounted for 93% of the total wholesale sales of passenger NEVs that month. Based on preliminary January data, these producers achieved sales of 830,000 units in January. As most producers have already locked in their major sales figures, by applying the structural proportion from the previous month to the current month's data, the estimated wholesale sales of passenger NEVs nationwide in January were 900,000 units. According to comprehensive preliminary monthly association data: the estimated wholesale sales of NEVs by national passenger car producers in January 2026 were 900,000 units, up 1% YoY.
14 hours ago
CAAM: In 2025, 476,000 complete vehicles were imported, down 32.4% YoY.
14 hours ago
CAAM: In 2025, 476,000 complete vehicles were imported, down 32.4% YoY.
Read More
CAAM: In 2025, 476,000 complete vehicles were imported, down 32.4% YoY.
CAAM: In 2025, 476,000 complete vehicles were imported, down 32.4% YoY.
据中国汽车工业协会整理的海关总署数据显示,2025年12月,汽车整车进口3.0万辆,环比下降30.4%,同比下降56.1%;进口金额14.7亿美元,环比下降23.6%,同比下降52.5%。2025年,汽车整车进口47.6万辆,同比下降32.4%;进口金额236.4亿美元,同比下降39.7%。
14 hours ago
Canada Announces New EV Strategy, to Collaborate with China
14 hours ago
Canada Announces New EV Strategy, to Collaborate with China
Read More
Canada Announces New EV Strategy, to Collaborate with China
Canada Announces New EV Strategy, to Collaborate with China
According to CCTV News, on February 5, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a new electric vehicle strategy, including the reinstatement of car purchase subsidies, and stated that Canada will cooperate with China to promote the local production and export of EVs in Canada. According to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office of Canada, the country will make full use of existing and newly established trade agreements, including a recently reached EV cooperation agreement with China, to facilitate large-scale investment in this sector, diversify Canada’s automotive export markets, and position Canada as one of the global leaders in the electric vehicle industry.
14 hours ago