According to the Commodity Market Analysis System of Shengyi Society, the price of lithium carbonate has been falling again and again recently. As of May 13th, the benchmark price of domestic battery grade lithium carbonate was 65633 yuan/ton, a decrease of 4.79% from 68933 yuan/ton at the beginning of the month, a decrease of 16.71% from 78800 yuan/ton at the beginning of the month, and a decrease of 43.52% from the same period last year; The benchmark price of domestic industrial grade lithium carbonate is 64900 yuan/ton, a decrease of 4.42% from 67900 yuan/ton at the beginning of the month, a decrease of 15% from 76400 yuan/ton at the beginning of the month, and a decrease of 40.57% from the same period last year.
supply end
The production of lithium carbonate has slightly increased recently, and companies have maintained high power output. Some companies that stopped production for maintenance in April are expected to resume production in May. As the weather warms up, the production of salt lakes is expected to increase, and the pressure on the supply side is expected to continue to expand.
demand side
Downstream pre holiday restocking is sufficient, but post holiday demand is sluggish, with more on-demand restocking and no explosive demand growth in the short term. The combined price drop has caused some lithium salt factories to experience absorption sentiment, and it is expected that lithium carbonate prices will be under significant pressure in the short term.
Cost end
The price of lithium ore continues to be low, with the CIF price of Australian ore dropping from $850/ton at the beginning of the year to $786/ton, and the price of African ore dropping to $757/ton. The negative cost side has driven down the price of lithium carbonate.
The data analyst of Shengyi Society believes that under the influence of various negative factors, lithium carbonate is prone to decline but difficult to rise, and specific changes in market information still need to be monitored.