Lithium carbonate prices are expected to rise slightly in the near term

SHANGHAI, Sep 17 (SMM) — The overall prices of battery-grade lithium carbonate have shown a downward trend since the beginning of the year, according to an SMM survey.

The daily average price of battery-grade lithium carbonate stood at 40,000 yuan/mt as of September 15, and fell 10,250 yuan/mt from the highest level of 50,250 yuan/mt since the beginning of the year. SMM believed that the supply and demand structure of lithium carbonate has improved, mainly because the import of Argentina and Chile dropped sharply. The pandemic situation in the two countries is still severe at present. The single-day confirmed cases reached a single-day high on September 10, and the import is expected to remain low in August.

Most domestic lithium salt manufacturers are in full production, and lithium carbonate is in short supply, according to an SMM survey. The shipments of lithium salt manufacturers were tight, and most of the quotations increased. However, the increasing speed of demand side is not as fast as the releasing speed of production capacity. Therefore, it is expected that prices of lithium carbonate may rise slightly and stabilise in the long run.