China's domestic lithium carbonate prices moved higher last week. The pricing of future supply additions has gradually faded, while near-term destocking has supported price recovery. Looking ahead, downstream peak-season production schedules and high-cost converters suffering losses will continue to provide a floor for prices. However, relatively subdued spot transactions, high inventories, and elevated warehouse receipts are likely to cap any significant rebound.
For lithium ore, the price hike last week kept the converters cautious, which has largely finished stockpiling for Q3 and are preparing stocks for Q4. The traders' offers continued to reflect low processing fees, though actual transactions have edged higher from June levels. Overall, however, processing fees remained at relatively low levels.
