China's Oil Sector Sees High Export Volume of Needle Coke in December, Import Volume on the Rise

The second-life application market was largely stable this week, with no notable price fluctuations. Cost side, lithium carbonate rose early in the week and pulled back mid-week, cobalt sulphate held steady, and nickel sulphate pulled back slightly. Although raw material prices fluctuated, the transmission to the second-life segment takes time, so the impact on second-life costs was limited. Supply side, the impact of policies is gradually being digested, merchant shipments have begun to return to normal, market supply has been released, and quotes remained largely stable overall. Demand side performance was divergent, with ternary demand relatively mediocre and limited transactions, while LFP demand was moderate, with better transactions than ternary. Overall, the market currently lacks clear drivers for price changes, with supply and demand broadly balanced. Second-life prices are expected to remain largely stable in the short term, while attention should be paid to lithium carbonate price trends and downstream demand changes.

Raw material side, lithium carbonate prices shot up and retreated this week, nickel sulphate prices continued to edge lower, and cobalt sulphate prices saw their decline pause and stabilised at low levels.