[2019.07.18 minutes of internal morning meeting of cobalt lithium new energy] cobalt salt price bottom high premium smelting products close to it

Published: Jul 18, 2019 11:08

SMM July 18, 2010:

Battery Terminal Market:

Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has released the sixth batch of recommended models for new energy vehicles in 2019. Because the recommended catalogue is dominated by bus models, lithium iron phosphate batteries account for as much as 79%. At present, lithium iron phosphate battery is still mainly used in bus and special vehicle market because of its low cost and large capacity. In the future, there will also be more room for demand growth in the low-speed passenger car and energy storage market.

Upstream raw material price:

Cobalt: the price of cobalt salt bottomed out this week. The opening rate of large leading factories has not yet recovered, and some traders are optimistic that there is limited room for decline in the future market. Manufacturers sell at a low price, and the price of cobalt salt metal is at the bottom of about 170000 yuan. Foreign media cobalt prices continue to decline slightly, within a reasonable range with domestic cobalt prices, in addition, due to the decline in the price of cobalt salt raw materials, cobalt prices also fell sharply on Thursday, in line with SMM's previous high premium smelting products close to low-cost cobalt salt expectations.

Lithium: battery-grade lithium carbonate demand is not good, the market mentality is bearish, manufacturers are not active to pick up goods. For some cathode materials large plants batch long unit price, battery-grade lithium carbonate has reached 6.8-69000 yuan / ton. The price of industrial grade lithium carbonate with main content more than 99.2% (which can be directly used in lithium manganate) is relatively strong, stable at 6.2-65000 yuan / ton, but for industrial grade lithium carbonate with high impurity content or main content less than 99.2%, the price is about 60 000 yuan / ton, and has a further downward trend. Lithium hydroxide, battery-grade lithium hydroxide procurement demand is light, upstream manufacturers have appeared in order to return funds as soon as possible low-price throwing behavior, it is known that the lowest market quotation is 76000 yuan / ton.

 

SMM Cobalt Lithium Research team

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 for 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
[SMM Cobalt Morning Meeting Summary] Weak Demand and Falling Costs Jointly Keep Industry Chain Prices in the Doldrums
14 mins ago
[SMM Cobalt Morning Meeting Summary] Weak Demand and Falling Costs Jointly Keep Industry Chain Prices in the Doldrums
Read More
[SMM Cobalt Morning Meeting Summary] Weak Demand and Falling Costs Jointly Keep Industry Chain Prices in the Doldrums
[SMM Cobalt Morning Meeting Summary] Weak Demand and Falling Costs Jointly Keep Industry Chain Prices in the Doldrums
The cobalt industry chain remained under pressure this week. Refined cobalt shot up and then pulled back amid phased purchasing, with the electronic trading price retreating from 289,000 yuan/mt to around 275,000 yuan/mt. Quotes and transactions for intermediate products remained absent, and sales pressure on miners gradually accumulated. Cobalt salt demand was weak, and cobalt sulphate fell into a negative feedback loop of "price cuts—losses—raw material declines—lower costs," with some recycled-source quotes dropping to 57,000–58,000 yuan/mt. Cobalt chloride and Co3O4 continued to weaken under downstream production cuts and sluggish end-use consumption. Cobalt powder downstream users were still digesting high-priced inventory, and new purchasing had yet to begin. Ternary cathode precursor and ternary cathode material prices fell along with nickel, cobalt, and lithium raw materials, with sluggish power demand prompting enterprises to turn cautious in quoting and purchasing. LCO's "September peak season" expectations fell through, with weakening cost support and insufficient end-user stockpiling, leaving short-term prices still at risk of further decline. Some enterprises may carry out small-scale stockpiling before the National Day holiday, but whether the industry chain can stabilize still depends on the recovery of end-use demand and the pace of inventory destocking.
14 mins ago
DRC Regulator Orders Glencore’s KCC and Mutanda to Terminate Contracts with Non-Compliant Subcontractors
16 mins ago
DRC Regulator Orders Glencore’s KCC and Mutanda to Terminate Contracts with Non-Compliant Subcontractors
Read More
DRC Regulator Orders Glencore’s KCC and Mutanda to Terminate Contracts with Non-Compliant Subcontractors
DRC Regulator Orders Glencore’s KCC and Mutanda to Terminate Contracts with Non-Compliant Subcontractors
According to a decision published by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Regulatory Authority for Subcontracting in the Private Sector (ARSP) on September 15, Glencore’s Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) and Mutanda Mining (MUMI) have been ordered to terminate existing contracts with subcontractors that do not meet local legal eligibility requirements and remove them from their supplier lists. The decision followed a regulatory review of the two companies’ suppliers and service providers. Of the 1,427 suppliers and service providers submitted by KCC, only 472 were registered by ARSP as eligible, while 955 failed to meet the required conditions. At Mutanda, 548 of the 1,133 submitted suppliers were deemed eligible, while 585 failed to qualify. Both companies are also required to submit remediation plans to ARSP within 30 days of receiving the notice and are prohibited from signing new subcontracting agreements with the affected companies until they achieve compliance. KCC and Mutanda are both major copper-cobalt assets in the DRC. Continued enforcement of the measures could increase supply-chain adjustment and compliance-management pressures for the two operations. The original source is ARSP’s official Decision No. 020/ARSP/DG/2026, dated September 11 and publicly released on September 15. For publication, retaining “KCC and Mutanda” in the headline would make the direct connection to Glencore’s key copper-cobalt assets in the DRC immediately clear to cobalt-market readers.
16 mins ago
L&F Signs KRW 161.7 Billion LFP Cathode Supply Deal with SK On
1 hour ago
L&F Signs KRW 161.7 Billion LFP Cathode Supply Deal with SK On
Read More
L&F Signs KRW 161.7 Billion LFP Cathode Supply Deal with SK On
L&F Signs KRW 161.7 Billion LFP Cathode Supply Deal with SK On
L&F signed a KRW 161.73 billion contract to supply lithium iron phosphate cathode materials to SK On and its designated affiliates. The agreement runs from September 17, 2026, through December 31, 2028, and represents 7.51% of L&F’s 2025 consolidated revenue. L&F will supply its high-density, third-generation LFP cathode material. The company plans to begin production at an annual capacity of 30,000 tonnes by the end of the third quarter of 2026 and expand the Daegu facility to 60,000 tonnes annually in the first half of 2027. SK On plans to use the material at its ESS-focused LFP battery lines in Seosan, South Korea, and Georgia, the United States. The company is converting 3 GWh of its 7 GWh Seosan capacity to ESS LFP production, with deliveries scheduled to begin in the first half of 2027.
1 hour ago