SMM Launches Sentiment Factor for Spot Lithium Hydroxide: Capturing Real-Time High-Nickel Trends and Seizing Pricing Opportunities in the Lithium Battery Market

Published: Jul 25, 2025 19:37

Against the backdrop of sharp fluctuations in the lithium hydroxide price range, back-and-forth negotiations between upstream and downstream have shortened from "monthly" to "intraday." To help the industry chain quickly lock in transaction windows, the SMM New Energy team, relying on the lithium battery database, officially launched the industry's first "Lithium Hydroxide Transaction Sentiment Factor," which is published every trading day at 11:30. This provides a quantifiable, traceable, and early-warning sentiment coordinate for the spot market of battery-grade and industrial-grade lithium hydroxide.

I. Data Highlights

  1. Comprehensive Portrayal, Comprehensive Evaluation • Total Sentiment Factor: A comprehensive reflection of the daily market heat and liquidity of lithium hydroxide. • Upstream Willingness to Sell Sentiment Factor: Quantifies the willingness to sell of lithium chemical plants and processing plants. • Downstream Purchasing Sentiment Factor: Quantifies the actual procurement strength of high-nickel cathode, electrolyte, and export traders.
  2. Professional Scoring, Weighted by Importance The analyst team conducts daily targeted communications with core enterprises in the industry, scoring the sensitivity to selling/purchasing/price spread on a scale of 1-5 (1 = sporadic inquiries, rigid demand driving down prices; 5 = panic buying, spot instantly sold out). The scores are then weighted according to the company's capacity/procurement volume, ensuring that the factor represents the mainstream of the industry.
  3. High-Frequency Release, Leading Market Trends To ensure the timeliness and continuity of the data, the Lithium Hydroxide Sentiment Factor is updated precisely at 11:30 every trading day.

II. Application Scenarios • Lithium Chemical Plants: Adjust the selling pace dynamically based on the downstream purchasing sentiment and price spread sensitivity factors, avoiding the risks of "high prices with low transactions" or "low-price concentrated dumping." • High-Nickel Cathode & Export Traders: Identify upstream selling signals, lock in low-priced sources in advance or delay high-priced purchases, optimizing inventory turnover days. • Financial Institutions: Explore the relationship between the sentiment factor and lithium hydroxide futures (proposed for listing) and lithium carbonate futures cross-variety price differences, assisting in arbitrage strategies.


SMM will continue to improve its data service system, providing more valuable market insights for the new energy industry chain. For more details, please feel free to inquire.

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 to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn
For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn
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