The operating rates of licensed secondary lead smelters across Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan and Inner Mongolia averaged 39.19% last week (October 21-27), down 1.69 percentage points from a week earlier. A secondary lead smelter in Anhui was shut down for maintenance.
The average operating rate of sample companies in Anhui fell from 67.44% to 62.79%. The operating rates of sample companies in Jiangsu and Henan last week were basically flat from the prior week. The output of sample companies in Inner Mongolia fluctuated normally last week, and subsequent production may decline due to a series of impacts caused by cooling weather. While the demand for electric bicycle batteries gradually weakens, the peak season for automobile battery may set in. Some market participants are still optimistic about consumption in the fourth quarter and believe that the production enthusiasm of secondary lead smelters will not decline.
