【SMM Weekly Review: Continuous Pressure from Downstream Customers, Minor Decline in Anode Material Prices】 SMM News on March 8th: Anode material prices saw a slight decline this week. In terms of costs, low-sulfur petroleum coke continued its volatile trend... SMM News on March 8th:
Anode material prices experienced a minor decline this week. In terms of costs, low-sulfur petroleum coke continued its volatile trend, with some refineries in the northeastern region of PetroChina raising prices while prices from some refineries of CNOOC fell. However, the overall magnitude of price fluctuations was small. Prices of oil-based needle coke remained stable for now. Although some coking plants are undergoing maintenance, the impact on prices is limited due to poor market demand and most coking plants have already stocked up inventory in advance. It is expected that the market will continue to operate weakly and steadily. Currently, the number of outsourced orders for graphitization is low, and prices are low, putting significant pressure on outsourced graphitization manufacturers. In terms of demand, entering March, downstream battery cell and terminal customer production increased, leading to increased demand for anodes. However, downstream customers continue to pressure anode manufacturers on prices due to terminal price wars. Combined with the industry's overcapacity, competition within the industry remains fierce, making it difficult for anode material prices to rebound. It is expected that there is still downward price risk in the future.
