For lithium ore, the traders' marketable inventory remained low at present. While lithium refineries have been well-stocked, a significant drop in July Australia's spodumene shipments and ongoing congestion at the Port of Beira are likely to keep supply tight.
The lithium carbonate futures price pulled back again. On the news front, the second EIA for CATL's Jianxiawo mine was recently released, marking another solid progress toward actual restart. On the fundamentals, frequent maintenance shutdowns at lithium refineries in July and August, combined with strong demand, are expected to drive a significant drawdown in lithium carbonate in the third quarter. Yet, the recent lithium carbonate spot transactions were not active with downstream players having built enought stocks. And the lithium carbonate prices are likely to keep rangebound in the near term.
