A Glance of China Lithium-ion Battery Materials Market 20260331

The most-traded GFEX (Guangzhou Futures Exchange) lithium carbonate futures contract remained bullish in the week ending March 27, with the settlement price recording a weekly gain of 17.09% as of March 27 compared with the previous Friday, data showed. The weekly increase was primarily due to the players starting to trade the expectations of tightening lithium ore supply amidst on-going supply disruptions when it is almost an established fact that the demand end will stay resilient based on the LFP cathode production scheduling in April, thanks to robust energy storage market.

A Glance of China Lithium-ion Battery Materials Market 20260324

China's lithium carbonate market experienced a rather gloomy week in the week ending March 20, with the most-traded GFEX (Guangzhou Futures Exchange) lithium carbonate contracting losing 5.95% as of Friday March 20 compared with the previous Friday, data showed. On the whole, the lithium market has been increasingly exposed to the impacts on the macro front amidst the lasting geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East, which has created great concerns over crude supply and US Fed's rate hikes, with non-ferrous metals prices finding new floors.

A Glance of China Lithium-ion Battery Materials Market 20260317

The most-traded GFEX (Guangzhou Futures Exchange) lithium carbonate contract hovered rangebound in the reporting period (March 7 13), with the settlement price edging up 0.27% as of Friday March 13 from the previous Friday, data showed. On the spot market, the weekly spot lithium carbonate transaction volume almost halved from the previous week, based on Mysteel's survey of sampled traders. And the trading seemed more active when lithium carbonate prices dropped to Yuan 150,000/tonne. In addition, Mysteel maintains its view that the March lithium carbonate market will manage a tight supply-demand balance with marginal supply surplus.

A Glance of China Lithium-ion Battery Materials Market 20260310

A Glance of China Lithium-ion Battery Materials Market

The most-traded GFEX LC contract staged rapid rally post the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday, with the settlement price achieving a weekly increase of around 17% compared with the last business day before the holiday. And the support came from both the fundamentals and sentiment front. On the fundamentals, the downstream cathode plants mostly maintained active production during the holiday, and the in-plant lithium carbonate inventory held by Mysteel's sampled cathode and battery cell plants reported a reduction of 13.92% by February 27 compared with before the holiday, offering firm support to lithium carbonate prices.

A Glance of China Lithium-ion Battery Materials Market 20260210

The most-traded Guangzhou Futures Exchange (GFEX) LC contract recorded another bearish week, with the settlement price losing 14.08% as of Friday February 6 compared to the previous Friday, primarily due to the lack of new catalysts as well as the ripple effect of the persistently falling non-ferrous metal prices. Currently, with the CNY holiday approaching and downstream players finishing stockpiling, the lithium carbonate spot market is expected to gradually come to a standstill. Near-term events to be watched including the resumption progress of Jianxiawo mine, power battery demand recovery post CNY holiday, as well as the production scheduling in March.

A Glance of China Lithium-ion Battery Materials Market 20260203

The most-traded GFEX LC contract experienced an extensive pullback last week, with the settlement prices falling for several consecutive days though the weekly average price managed a mild increase compared with the previous week. The lithium carbonate futures price pulling back persistently last week was primarily attributed to enhanced regulatory efforts from GFEX aiming at tackling the overwhelming speculative activities, as well as the lack of new bullish factors. And the longs left the market accordingly after paying off. In addition, the plummet of non-ferrous metals prices in the second half of last week also weighed on the market sentiment.

A Glance of China Lithium-ion Battery Materials Market 20260127

The most-traded GFEX LC contract recorded a winning week ending Friday January 23, with the settlement price rising 15.8% from the previous Friday January 16. The increase was partly triggered by the resurfacing supply concerns. Elsewhere, Mysteel's tracking of the daily spot transactions indicated that the overall lithium carbonate spot trading stood at 8,625 tonnes last week, an increase of nearly 25% from the previous session and a relatively high level since Mysteel's recording. Meanwhile, the weekly survey of the lithium carbonate physical inventory showed that the overall inventory level was back to the downtrend last week though minimal, pointing to firm downstream demand.

A Glance of China Lithium-ion Battery Materials Market 20260120

The most-traded GFEX LC contract showed an inverted V-shaped trend last week, with the rebound fueled by the phase-out of value added tax (VAT) export tax rebate for batteries. However, the prices gradually pulled back in the second half and even hit limit down on Friday January 16 due to cooling sentiment as the fundamentals were largely unchanged, as well as enhanced regulatory efforts, prompting longs to exit the market after paying off. Nevertheless, the spot transactions of lithium carbonate turned active during the price pullback period, indicating robust downstream demand. In addition, influenced by the export tax rebate adjustment, the ternary battery sector has shown a rush to export.

A Glance of China Lithium-ion Battery Materials Market 20260113

The most-traded GFEX LC contract opened 2026 with constant gains, and the settlement price marked a weekly increase of 18.68% as of January 9 compared to the last trading day of 2025, with bullish support mainly from the bullish outlook. The LFP producers carried out maintenance on several production lines as was disclosed earlier, and the lithium carbonate market was near a tight balance. Downstream restocking progress still showed little substantial advancement. Nevertheless, supported by low downstream inventories, lithium carbonate prices continued the upward trend.