[SMM Daily Review: January 8 Spot Lithium Carbonate Prices Continue to Rise]

The SMM battery-grade lithium carbonate index stood at 137,043 yuan/mt, up 4,812 yuan/mt from the previous working day. SMM Battery-grade lithium carbonate was priced at 132,000-145,000 yuan/mt, with an average of 138,500 yuan/mt, up 5,000 yuan/mt from the previous working day. SMM Industrial-grade lithium carbonate was priced at 130,000-140,000 yuan/mt, with an average of 135,000 yuan/mt, up 5,000 yuan/mt from the previous working day.
In the morning session, the most-traded lithium carbonate futures contract surged to around 148,500 yuan/mt before entering a phase of range-bound fluctuation. After the midday break, prices declined rapidly, touching a low near 137,000 yuan/mt, then gradually rebounded in a volatile manner, eventually closing at 145,000 yuan/mt. In the spot market, as prices continued to rise, some upstream lithium chemical plants showed increased willingness to sell spot orders. However, downstream material plants generally exhibited low acceptance of the current high prices, with only some enterprises making purchases out of rigid demand. During price pullbacks, market inquiries were active, and transaction activity showed a slight recovery compared to the previous period, driving spot prices to continue climbing.