SHANGHAI, May 27 (SMM) - Battery-grade lithium carbonate prices, after stabilising for a long period of time, finally ushered in some growth May 27, which rose by around 1,000 yuan/mt to 452,000-473,000 yuan/t, with the average price at 462,500 yuan/mt, according to SMM Prices.
The prices of industrial-grade lithium carbonate have long started to rally against the general trend, which added 1,000 yuan/mt, 2,500 yuan/mt and 2,000 yuan/mt respectively on May 24, 26 and 27, a combined growth of 5,500 yuan/mt. The prices now stand between 422,000-440,000 yuan/mt, with an average of 431,000 yuan/mt.
According to SMM research, there has been an increase in the inquiries and transactions of lithium carbonate this week. With the improvement of the pandemic situation in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the downstream demand is expected to rebound, coupled with the support from the cost and sentiment fronts concerning the recent auction of lithium content. In addition, under the firm lithium hydroxide prices, some of the high-nickel material plants and caustic processing plants increased the purchasing of industrial-grade lithium carbonate, and the rising prices also offered some support to battery-grade lithium carbonate.
The upstream lithium salt plants hence raised their offers and were very positive on price outlook. Downstream small and medium-sized manufacturers had rigid downstream, while large factories were wait-and-see as their orders have not been finalised. .
Lithium carbonate prices are likely to maintain its stability in the near term, and will rise slightly when the demand recovers.
