SMM Forecast For Short-Term Lithium Carbonate Price

February 2026 coincided with the Chinese New Year holiday. Affected by holiday factors, production pace across core segments of China’s sodium-ion battery industry generally slowed, showing an “off-season reset” trend. From cathodes, anodes, and electrolyte to battery cells and end-users, production across all segments declined MoM to varying degrees, while YoY still maintained a certain degree of growth resilience.

[SMM Daily Review: Spot Lithium Carbonate Prices Continued to Decline on March 4] The SMM battery-grade lithium carbonate index price continued to fall from the previous working day. In terms of futures performance, the most-traded contract fluctuated within the range of 146,000–155,700 yuan/mt, while open interest in the most-traded contract decreased by about 600 lots from the previous trading day. In terms of actual transactions, upstream lithium chemical plants’ willingness to sell spot orders remained weak, with strong sentiment to hold back supply and hold prices firm. Morning prices fell rapidly to below 150,000 yuan/mt, boosting purchase willingness among downstream material plants. At present, most enterprises adopted a laddered order-placement strategy to buy on dips. Overall, market inquiries and transactions were relatively active.

Gotion High-Tech informed investors that it has established three lithium mining operations in Yichun, Jiangxi, achieving full vertical integration from ore mining and refining to battery-grade lithium carbonate production. This strategic layout is designed to guarantee a stable long-term supply of raw materials and optimize procurement costs. On the sales front, the company negotiates product pricing directly with downstream customers to mitigate the impact of market fluctuations.