Lithium: The quotations offered by the lithium ore traders were little changed recently, as the downstream smelters have completed their stockpiling for the upcoming Labor Day holiday. The high-priced lithium ore became unpopular among the buyers. It is expected that the lithium ore prices will remain stable in the near term. For lithium carbonate, the market was quiet yesterday. And most traders suspended making quotations as the futures market was closed on Sunday. Nevertheless, the market was muted ahead of the holiday. And the lithium carbonate prices are expected to keep rangebound in the short period.
Nickel: The nickel sulfate prices gained momentum recently with the delayed port arrivals of MHP as well as some integrated producers refraining from selling nickel sulfate. The market inquiries were relatively active as the downstream precursor plants stockpiled for the Labor Day holiday. But the transaction prices were relatively low. It is expected that the nickel sulfate prices will stay flat in the near term.
Cobalt: The cobalt sulfate prices were little changed yesterday compared with the previous trading day. The demand side stood poor still, and the market players were bearish as a whole. And the stockpiling activities were slow even ahead of the Labor Day holiday. The latest bids for cobalt sulfate were as low as Yuan 30,500/tonne, putting the buyers on the sidelines. But the smelters rarely lowered the quotations on firm cost. It is expected that the cobalt sulfate prices will stall with the buyers and sellers in tug-of-war.
Battery scrap: The battery black mass prices were stable yesterday. The hydrometallurgical plants turned cautious approaching the Labor Day holiday, and thus stood on the sidelines. The sellers held the prices firm.
Repurposing: The transactions on the repurposing market were mostly with A grade battery cells yesterday, and there were fewer orders for battery pack. The demand from the energy storage sector was subsided, and the electronics sector showed robust demand for cylindrical battery cells.