Digital market downstream demand adjustment period cobalt lithium price shock downward

Demand dominated this week, with cobalt derivatives and lithium prices weakening. Recently, the digital market has shown signs of weakness. Only one material factory in the south said that orders in the digital market are good, and the other upstream manufacturers in the digital electronics industry chain all said that demand is weak, and orders in May are still weak. In terms of the power market, the battery factory and material factory are actively preparing for the new products in the recommended catalogue. According to the SMM survey, the high nickel demand of the power battery factory and vehicle factory for the ternary materials will be reflected in the 622 model this year, and the promotion and application of the 811 model in the power market may be realized as early as the middle of 2019. Therefore, the price range of products in the ternary material market has widened recently, mainly because the product performance of first-line manufacturers is better, the price of 523 products is no less than 622, the price is relatively strong, still occupied in 230,000 yuan/ton, but small and medium-sized manufacturers quotation is uneven in the background of downstream demand adjustment.

Electrolytic cobalt, foreign media demand continues to rise rapidly and sagging domestic entities already disconnect, most of the chip is held in domestic speculators, though under a halo of promoting new energy development, but also clear overseas cobalt metal of the dominant discourse in the same financial attributes under the helpless, so foreign media flat signal also makes the speculative market disorder, falling nearly two weeks of performance. Spot supplier price has been passive, a small amount of steel to purchase prices, moderate price reduction, SMM electrolytic cobalt price of 65-67. 50,000 yuan/ton, the average price fell 0. 650,000 yuan/ton.

Cobalt salt and nickel salt: cobalt salt trading prices fell this week, foreign media cobalt price rise for a long time, two flat, influence to stock traders mentality, polarization and ternary material demand, the customer for a large factory in zhejiang cobalt saltworks quotation was flat, but the rest of the structure is relatively fragmented and small customers of cobalt salt smelting under the influence of weak demand active sale. SMM cobalt sulfate is 13. 50,000-140,000 yuan/ton, the average price fell 0. 350,000 yuan/ton. SMM cobalt chloride currently costs $15. 8-160,000 yuan/ton, the average price fell 0. 50,000 yuan/ton. SMM nickel sulfate cost 2. 65-2. 850,000 yuan/ton, the average price was flat compared with last week.

Cobalt oxide: the cobalt market was in a stalemate on Thursday. Although the current green cobalt price is declining, but because the previous increase rate of cobalt price is lower than that of cobalt chloride, and the supply and demand link of cobalt itself is a small trading activity, the supplier is pessimistic about the incremental elasticity of demand after the price reduction, so the quotation is temporarily stable. SMM cobalt oxide currently costs $49. 5-50. 50,000 yuan/ton, the average price is flat compared with last week.

Cobalt oxide: this week, the market transaction price of cobalt oxide is flat, similar to that of cobalt oxide. The supplier's quotation is firm, and the downstream is passive to accept, so the market transaction is light. SMM cobalt oxide is currently priced at 470-480,000 yuan/ton, with the average price unchanged from last week. As for cobalt powder, the quotation of suppliers in the cobalt powder market is firm at 780,000 yuan/ton, and the quotation of cobalt carbonate raw material has not declined yet. However, there is a certain inventory in the hands of traders at present, and the downstream demand is weak, so the price of cobalt powder has a downside risk. SMM cobalt powder price 74. 5-75. 50,000 yuan/ton, the average price is flat compared with last week.

Ternary precursor (523 dynamic type) : this week, the ternary precursor market declined slightly, mainly due to the lack of downstream demand, the price of upstream sulfate fell, coupled with a small number of traders in the precursor market to sell goods at a low price, the transaction price was subsequently adjusted. The SMM ternary precursor (type 523) costs 14. 1-14. 30,000 yuan/ton, the average price fell 0. 40,000 yuan/ton.

Lithium carbonate: the lithium carbonate market fell again this week. The main reason for the decline in industrial lithium carbonate prices in qinghai region fell lower market trading center. The current demand is always weak, but lithium salt smelter (except for a listed enterprise in sichuan to repair the impact of 800 tons of supply) has not cut the opening rate, April in qinghai industrial lithium carbonate supply increase, to protect sales led down the price. It should be noted that although the SMM point of view for this year's power ternary material high nickel demand will now show on the 622 model, 811 or next year, but different manufacturers of different processes, some manufacturers of the 622 model lithium salt choice for lithium hydroxide, lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide price difference or will increase. SMM lithium carbonate costs 14-14. 50,000 yuan/ton, the average price fell 0. 550,000 yuan/ton.

lithium cobalt oxide: the lithium cobalt oxide market is relatively stable, and the demand concentration of lithium cobalt oxide market is further improved in the low demand season of consumer electronics. At present, cobalt price fluctuates downward, lithium price continues to decline, lithium cobalt acid materials face a certain downward pressure. SMM4. 35V lithium cobalt oxide costs 48. 5-49. 50,000 yuan/ton, the average price is flat compared with last week.

Ternary materials (523 power type) : the power ternary market is in the adjustment period, which is expected to last until June this year. After the adjustment period, the demand for models 523 and 622 with high energy density such as single crystal high voltage may rise. General 523 demand will continue to be weak, the current general dynamics model 523 in the destocking period, price decline. The price of SMM ternary material (type 523) is 22. 8-23. 20,000 yuan/ton, the average price fell 0. 30,000 yuan/ton.

Lithium iron phosphate: lithium iron phosphate market steady this week, supply and demand light. The price of lithium iron phosphate has fallen to a record low near the cost line under the impact of ternary materials, and suppliers have reduced production in the face of cold demand. In the future, as the price of raw materials lithium carbonate and iron phosphate further decreases, the price of lithium iron phosphate may decline slightly. SMM lithium iron phosphate (dynamic) price is 7. 50-8. The average price of $50 was flat from last week.

Lithium manganate: the lithium manganate market is still hot this week, and the product is in short supply. On the one hand, cobalt price is too high, and the way of reducing cost by adding lithium manganate into ternary materials is becoming more and more popular. On the other hand, there is also a strong demand in the field of downstream low-speed electric vehicles and logistics vehicles. Suppliers in hunan, guangxi and tianjin have plans to expand production. SMM lithium manganate (capacity) price is 5. 5-6. 50,000 yuan/ton, the average price is flat compared with last week. Lithium manganate (power version) price 6. 50-7. At 50, average prices were flat from last week. Outlook: lithium battery market demand is expected to be stable in the second quarter, cobalt price will continue to fluctuate, lithium carbonate price is gradually released in the supply of a small decline.

The page contains the contents of the machine translation.