Lithium: The inquiries for lithium ore were lackluster yesterday amidst falling lithium carbonate spot prices, and the transactions were poor as well. The market players were cautious on volatile lithium prices. It is likely that the lithium ore prices will move rangebound in the short period. For lithium carbonate, falling spot prices put the market players on the sidelines, and the transactions were poor, with lower transaction prices. It is projected that the lithium carbonate prices will keep rangebound in the short period.
Nickel: The market players stood on the sidelines post the holiday. The nickel sulfate producers held the prices firm as nickel price surged during the holiday, and some refrained from making quotations. The demand was poor at present as the downstream players had sufficient stocks. Currently the nickel sulfate prices are subject to the macro front, and both the supply and demand have been weak.
Cobalt: The cobalt intermediates prices stabilized at present, offerting certain cost support to cobalt sulfate prices. The producers started to negotiate the long-term orders for raw materials. But the downstream demand has been poor, putting pressure on the shipment of cobalt sulfate produers. It is likely that the cobalt sulfate prices will stay soft in the short period. For cobalt chloride, the spot transactions were muted, and the quotations were as low as Yuan 35,000/tonne. It is estimated that the cobalt chloride prices will fall further in the near term.
Battery scrap: The supply on the battery scrap market was modest yesterday with normal transactions. The demand for NMC black mass was more active, and the high-priced resources were popular as well. But some sellers refrained from selling as the prices of metal salts dropped.
Repurposing: The quotations on the repurposing market were little changed yesterday, and the market sentiment was bearish as the end-market demand showed no signs of improvement. The market players were pessimistic with the repurposing market saturating and A grade battery cells supply ramping up.