According to the Commodity Market Analysis System of Shengyi Society, the price of lithium carbonate continued to operate under pressure at the beginning of the 25th year, with weak fluctuations. As of January 7th, the domestic price of industrial grade lithium carbonate was 76000 yuan/ton, a decrease of 3.06% from the same period last month at 78400 yuan/ton; The domestic price of battery grade lithium carbonate is 78600 yuan/ton, a decrease of 2.96% from the same period last month at 81200 yuan/ton.

Demand side:

From the perspective of new energy vehicles, January is the traditional off-season in China, and there is a reduction in power batteries. However, due to the expectation of overseas policies, the demand for exports is expected to be strong, and the overall reduction on the demand side will be better than the same period in previous years.

In December, the production and sales of lithium iron phosphate were strong, and the demand for ternary materials remained stable. There is an expectation of a decrease in downstream demand after January 2025. The operating rate of lithium iron phosphate is about 65%, and the operating rate of ternary materials is about 44%.

Supply side:

Due to the traditional Spring Festival maintenance season, domestic mines are expected to reduce production on the supply side. Based on intelligence and shipping data from Argentina, the import volume is expected to remain balanced.

Business Society’s lithium carbonate data analyst believes that as the Spring Festival approaches, there are maintenance plans in the upstream of lithium carbonate, coupled with a strong pre holiday stocking mentality and better than expected production scheduling in the downstream. In the short term, it may experience strong fluctuations, and specific market information still needs to be monitored.