Lithium: Lithium carbonate prices stabilized yesterday, and the market inquiries were quite active. On the supply side, the sellers held the prices firm and were not quite willing to sell. The downstream players were cautious. Lithium carbonate prices are still expected to rise slightly in the near term.
Nickel: The production hike of MHP in Indonesia has been translated to rising shipment to China, but high nickel ore prices and rebounding sulfate prices due to Middle East conflicts firmly supported nickel sulfate cost. The demand from battery cell and nickel plate sectors was slow. Hence nickel sulfate prices are expected to be stable in the near term.
Cobalt: Electrolytic cobalt saw improving demand from overseas, and the transactions picked up slightly. Domestic smelters held the prices firm, and the prices are estimated to rise with bullish market sentiment. For cobalt sulfate, the market was relatively flat, and the market players were not active. Hence the prices may not rise in the short term.
Battery scrap: The battery scrap market sentiment picked up along with rising lithium carbonate prices recently. Specially, the metal salts' payable rates of ternary black mass jumped to 72-75%, or 77% the highest. The scrap market is estimated to see rising transactions with market players turning bullish towards the follow-up market.
Repurposing: The market inquiries rose yesterday, but the transactions volume changed little. The prices were stable as well. The e-bike battery sector was relatively more active, while LFP battery cell sector stayed quiet. The end-market players were wait-and-see as quotations from different traders differed significantly.
