Aluminum price lowered on April 7

According to the data of business agency, on April 7, the average market price of domestic aluminum ingots in East China was 22036.67 yuan / ton, a daily decrease of 2.02%, a year-on-year increase of 25.76%, down 3.09% from the average market price of 22740 yuan / ton at the beginning of the month (4.1); Compared with the average market price of 20370 yuan / ton at the beginning of the year (January 1), an increase of 8.18%.

Based on the peak value in 2021 (October 19, 2021), the average market price of aluminum ingot is 24240 yuan / ton, which has fallen by 9.09% from the peak value recently. Starting from the recent recovery (December 13, 2021), the average market price of aluminum ingot is 18693.33 yuan / ton, up 17.89% recently.

Main reasons for aluminum price reduction on April 7

1. According to the inventory data, the main social inventory has remained above 1 million tons in the near future. At present, it has risen slightly, and the inventory is about 1.075 million tons; According to the delivery data of major regions, the domestic weekly delivery volume increased month on month and decreased year on year, and the delivery volume of Wuxi, Shanghai and Shenyang decreased slightly.

2. The price is high in the early stage, with 23000 yuan mark. After many games between the supplier and the demander, the downstream operating rate is narrowed and the supplier is suppressed in the short term.

1、 Price summary of mixed xylene on April 2:

Qingdao refinery offers 7200 yuan / ton, Shijiazhuang Refinery offers 7050 yuan / ton,

Jiujiang Petrochemical offers 7700 yuan / ton, and Yangba offers 7600 yuan / ton,

Guangzhou Petrochemical quoted 7700 yuan / ton, Maoming Petrochemical quoted 7650 yuan / ton,

Changling refinery offers 7800 yuan / ton,

Shandong Jingbo Petrochemical offers 7300 yuan / ton, Xinhai Petrochemical offers 7500 yuan / ton, and Hongrun offers 7250 yuan / ton.

2、 Fluctuation trend:

 
3、 Analysis and comments:

In terms of crude oil, the EU announced that it would speed up the formulation of a new round of sanctions against Russia, but there was still no agreement among Member States. In addition, market participants are worried about the slowing demand of public health events, and oil prices are under pressure.

Today, the price of mixed xylene in Sinopec South China was reduced by 250 yuan / ton.

During the festival, crude oil rose as a whole, and the price of mixed xylene in outer Asia rose with it. The domestic market is affected by public health events and other factors, the logistics and transportation are limited, the actual transaction in the market is light, and the mentality of the operators is poor.

According to the monitoring of business agency, the price index of domestic rare earth market has declined. Recently, the rare earth market has continued to fall. Recently, the price of domestic praseodymium neodymium series has fallen sharply, and the price of terbium Series in heavy rare earth market has continued to fall. On April 1, the rare earth index was 862 points, down 16 points from yesterday, down 14.40% from the highest point 1007 in the cycle (2022-02-24), and up 218.08% from the lowest point 271 points on September 13, 2015. (Note: the period refers to the period from December 1, 2011 to now).

This week, the price trend of domestic light rare earth market continued to decline, and the price of praseodymium neodymium series, the mainstream of rare earth market, fell sharply. In terms of products:

It can be clearly seen from the product price trend chart that the prices of domestic metal neodymium, neodymium oxide, praseodymium oxide, metal praseodymium, praseodymium neodymium alloy and praseodymium neodymium oxide have declined. As of the 2nd day, the price of neodymium oxide in rare earth in China was 965000 yuan / ton, down 9.81%; The price of neodymium was 1.21 million yuan / ton, down 9.36%; The price of praseodymium oxide was 945000 yuan / ton, with a decrease of 5.97%; The price of praseodymium neodymium oxide was 905000 yuan / ton, down 8.59%; The price of praseodymium neodymium alloy was 1.12 million yuan / ton, a decrease of 8.20%; The price of metal praseodymium was 1.22 million yuan / ton, with the price falling by 8.61%, and the trend of domestic rare earth market fell sharply.

The price of rare earth in the domestic market fell sharply, mainly due to the relatively light downstream procurement and consumption of inventory. In addition, affected by the epidemic, some downstream production was affected and downstream demand was limited. In addition, affected by the mentality of buying up but not buying down, the downstream magnetic material enterprises continued to reduce inventory, the demand for spot procurement was weak, and the trend of rare earth market fell. Due to the decrease in demand, the supply of mainstream products such as praseodymium and neodymium oxide of some large upstream groups is normal, the demand for permanent magnet changes little, and the new energy industry is relatively normal. The downstream magnetic material enterprises continue to reduce inventory, the market wait-and-see mood is strong, the demand for spot procurement is weak, and some trading enterprises continue to ship at low prices. The sales of new energy vehicles are normal, the demand for rare earth is normal, the delivery of rare earth oxides is poor, and the price drops. The rare earth metal factory is more cautious in purchasing without lock orders, and the market price of rare earth in the field continues to fall.

The national environmental protection supervision is still continuing, and the peak season of rare earth demand is over. However, the launch of relevant policies in the rare earth industry is expected, and the market price of rare earth is still supported. At present, the inventory of neodymium praseodymium oxide is much lower than that in the early stage, and the buyers are affected by the mood of buying up or not buying down, and the price in the floor is declining. According to statistics, the demand for new energy vehicles has increased. According to the data released by China Automobile Industry Association, in March 2022, China’s automobile production and sales reached 1.422 million and 1.43 million respectively, up 4 times and 3.6 times month on month, down 44.5% and 43.3% year-on-year. The automobile production and sales have declined. Recently, the demand in the field of new energy is normal, the delivery situation in the domestic light rare earth market is poor, and the price continues to decline. Affected by this, the price trend of domestic heavy rare earth market accelerated to fall.

As can be seen from the trend chart, the price of dysprosium Series in China fell sharply. As of the 2nd day, the price of dysprosium oxide was 2.6 million yuan / ton, down 8.93%; Dysprosium ferroalloy price was 2.59 million yuan / ton, down 8.96%; The price of dysprosium metal was 3.665 million yuan / ton, a decrease of 8.03%; The price of terbium Series in China has declined. The price of terbium oxide in China is 13 million yuan / ton and the price of metal terbium is 16.75 million yuan / ton. The price trend of heavy rare earths has declined, the transaction market in the domestic rare earth market has fallen, and the leading magnetic material factory has not actively purchased, which has led to the decline of the domestic heavy rare earth market. Due to the insufficient raw material inventory of separation enterprises in the areas where light rare earth mines are used in Sichuan and other places, the reduction of this part of supply has little impact on the operating rate of separation plants in the areas where light rare earth mines are used. However, Myanmar’s export is limited, and the global rare earth supply is relatively concentrated, Myanmar is one of the production areas second only to China and the United States. Myanmar has a great impact on products in the domestic heavy rare earth market. Recently, the on-site procurement is not active, and the on-site heavy rare earth price trend has fallen sharply.

In addition, the national policy supports the rare earth market. The first batch of Rare Earth total amount control indicators in 2022 are in line with expectations, and the industry pattern continues to be optimized. On the 28th, the Ministry of industry and information technology and the Ministry of natural resources issued the first batch of Rare Earth total amount control indicators in 2022, of which the ore indicators and smelting separation indicators were 100800 tons and 97200 tons respectively. The increase of the index is in line with expectations, and the state is still relatively restrained in releasing the rare earth supply index. The first batch of ore indicators / smelting separation indicators in 2022 are + 20% year-on-year, and the growth rate is lower than that of the first batch in 2021 (year-on-year + 27.3% / 27.6%). It is expected that the overall supply and demand of rare earth will remain tight in 22 years. The index increment is still focused on light rare earths. Among the mining indicators in 2022, rock ore type rare earths (mainly light rare earths) were 89310 tons, with a year-on-year increase of + 23.2%, and ionic rare earths were 11490 tons, with a year-on-year balance. It is expected that the increment will be concentrated in light rare earths, which will be a long-term trend, and there is still support from domestic rare earths.

Although the sustainable development of new energy vehicles, wind power and variable frequency air conditioning in the downstream of rare earth is guaranteed in terms of demand, the recent downstream procurement is relatively negative, the accumulation of rare earth enterprises is increasing, the recent on-site transaction market is cold, and the supply enterprises will continue to restart in the later stage. Chen Ling, a business analyst, predicts that the price trend of rare earth market will continue to decline in the later stage.

In March, the domestic asphalt market was affected by the international crude oil price and fluctuated at an overall high level. According to the monitoring data of business agency, the spot price of domestic asphalt at the beginning of the month was 3537 yuan / ton, and the market price of domestic asphalt at the end of the month was 3977 yuan / ton. The price increased by 12.44% during the month and 33.46% year-on-year.

At the beginning of this month, although the international crude oil price broke through the 110 mark, the domestic asphalt market price rose slowly. Different regions are slightly different: only the price in East China fell, mainly due to the price reduction of Sinopec by 50 yuan / ton; In other regions, Shandong has the highest price increase, mainly due to the increase of Qilu Petrochemical by 100 yuan / ton. Driven by the futures market, some refining sources have increased significantly, followed by the increase of 75 yuan / ton in Northeast China and 65 yuan / ton in North China, mainly driven by the rise of raw oil prices.

In mid June, the overall increase of domestic asphalt market was relatively obvious. In terms of regions, the price increase in East China is the most obvious, mainly due to the cumulative increase of Sinopec’s price of 550 yuan / ton during the week; Secondly, the price in South China increased by 500 yuan / ton, and Maoming Petrochemical and PetroChina Gaofu increased by 600 yuan / ton; Then, the price in Northeast China increased by 450 yuan / ton, that in Shandong by 375 yuan / ton, that in Northwest China by 325 yuan / ton, and that in North China by 300 yuan / ton. This was mainly due to the influence of crude oil price, which led to the obvious price rise. However, due to the decline of crude oil, the prices in some parts of the North fell.

In late June, the domestic asphalt market showed a downward trend. In terms of regions, the price decline in Shandong was the most obvious, down 415 yuan / ton, mainly due to the impact of crude oil, the quotation of refining sources in the region fell sharply, and Qilu reduced 400 yuan / ton in total during the week. In the short term, there is room for downward prices in some regions, and the domestic asphalt market may be weak.

At the end of the month, the domestic asphalt market rose slowly. In terms of regions, the rise and fall of this week have been differentiated. Among them, the prices in South China, Southwest China, East China and Northwest China have been reduced as a whole. First, the price in Southwest China has been reduced most obviously; Secondly, the price in East China was reduced by 50 yuan / ton, mainly because the price of Sinopec fell first and then rose; Then, the price of Northwest China was reduced by 50 yuan / ton, mainly due to the price reduction of Sinopec by 100 yuan / ton. During the week, the price increases in Shandong and North China were more obvious, mainly due to the sharp rebound in crude oil prices, the reduction of low-cost supply and the continuous increase of market quotation. In the short term, the domestic asphalt market price may show a strong trend.

Annual comparison chart of asphalt price of business society from 2018 to 2022:

Monthly K column chart of asphalt domestic production price of business society:

Weekly K column chart of asphalt domestic production price of business society:

Comparison chart of crude oil and asphalt price trend of business society:

According to the price monitoring of the business community, in the list of commodity prices rising and falling in March 2022, there were 10 kinds of commodities rising month on month in the energy sector, including 9 kinds of commodities rising by more than 5%, accounting for 56.3% of the monitored commodities in the sector; The top three commodities were coke (21.91%), petroleum coke (15.86%) and coking coal (14.06%). There are 5 kinds of commodities with a month on month decline, and 3 kinds of commodities with a decline of more than 5%, accounting for 18.8% of the monitored commodities in this sector; The products with the top three declines were liquefied natural gas (- 13.45%), gasoline (- 7.29%) and naphtha (- 6.89%). The average rise and fall this month was 5.78%.

The asphalt supply is relatively low next month, and the demand may increase slowly as the weather improves. Asphalt analysts of business society expect that the domestic asphalt market may be dominated by high-level consolidation.

High aluminum price consolidation in March

According to the data of business agency, on March 31, the average market price of domestic aluminum ingots in East China was 22640 yuan / ton, a daily decrease of 0.44%, a year-on-year increase of 31.81%, an increase of 0.35% compared with the average market price of 22560 yuan / ton at the beginning of the month (3.1); Compared with the average market price of 20370 yuan / ton at the beginning of the year (January 1), an increase of 11.14%.

Based on the peak value in 2021 (October 19, 2021), the average market price of aluminum ingot is 24240 yuan / ton, which has fallen 6.60% from the peak value recently. Starting from the recent recovery (December 13, 2021), the average market price of aluminum ingot is 18693.33 yuan / ton, up 21.11% recently.

High aluminum price consolidation in March

Analysis of the reasons for the sharp rise of domestic aluminum price in the early stage:

1. The market expects that there is not much accumulated inventory in the Spring Festival. In addition to the sudden situation in Baise City, the two aluminum plants of baikuang have stopped production of 420000 tons, and the production reduction is superimposed with the expectation of low inventory in the peak season.

2. The news of the Russian Ukrainian crisis continued to ferment. On the one hand, Russia’s energy and metal exports were devastated by geopolitics. On the other hand, the European energy crisis led to an increase in production reduction expectations, with London Aluminum jumping sharply and the internal market following.

Analysis of the reasons for the current decline and consolidation:

1. Social inventory rose from February to March as a whole, domestic downstream demand recovered slowly, coupled with public health factors that erupted from time to time, logistics was affected, and the downstream operating rate was slightly weaker than that in previous years. Recently, the operating rate of leading downstream processing enterprises decreased, and the impact of the epidemic began to appear. The most obvious decline in the operating rate is the aluminum profile plate, with a sharp decline of 12.3% to 60.5%. The main reason is that this week’s outbreak in Nan’an City, Fujian Province and Binzhou City, Shandong Province led to the shutdown of regional enterprises, affecting the overall operating rate.

2. The price is high in the early stage, with 23000 yuan mark. After many games between the supplier and the demander, the downstream operating rate is narrowed and the supplier is suppressed in the short term.

1、 Price trend

According to the monitoring data of business agency, the average ex factory price of domestic chlorinated paraffin 52 was 6112 yuan / ton on March 1 and 6700 yuan / ton on March 30. The price of chlorinated paraffin increased by 9.61% this month.

2、 Market analysis

The market trend of chlorinated paraffins rose this month. In the first ten days of March, due to the continuous rise of raw material prices and good cost support, chlorinated paraffin rose sharply. The downstream operating rate increased and the demand began to follow up. In mid March, the price of raw materials was corrected. The regional differences of chlorinated paraffin are obvious, and the price range fluctuates. Affected by the epidemic, the demand for chlorinated paraffin is weak and the downstream operating rate is reduced. The price of chlorinated paraffin in Henan and Shandong decreased, and the market in other regions was stable. In late March, chlorinated paraffin increased slightly and then stabilized. The price of raw materials stabilized after the rise, and the manufacturer’s shipment was stable. The operating rate of chlorinated paraffin is reduced and the demand is general. Under the support of cost, the trend of chlorinated paraffin is good. As of March 30, the ex factory quotation of chlorinated paraffin 52 in Anhui is about 6800 yuan / ton, that in Shaanxi is about 6800 yuan / ton, that in Northeast is about 6700 yuan / ton, and that in Shandong is 6500 yuan / ton.

International crude oil rose sharply this month, and oil prices hit a new high in nearly 10 years. In terms of raw liquid wax, due to the rise of crude oil, the price of domestic liquid wax is dominant this month. At present, the market atmosphere is good and the manufacturer’s shipment is stable. In terms of raw liquid chlorine, the price of liquid chlorine first rose and then fell this month. In the first half of March, the domestic liquid chlorine price rose and operated, and the on-site trading was stable. The price of liquid chlorine in Shandong increased, while the market in other regions remained stable for the time being. In the second half of March, affected by the epidemic, the transportation was blocked, and the domestic liquid chlorine price decreased steadily.

3、 Future forecast

The chlorinated paraffin analyst of business society believes that at present, the cost support of chlorinated paraffin is weakened, the demand side is weak, and the chlorinated paraffin market operates stably. The epidemic broke out in many places in China, and the transportation was affected to a certain extent. It is expected that the market of chlorinated paraffin will be stable in the short term.

In March, DOP prices fluctuated and rose

According to the data monitoring of the business agency, the DOP price rose sharply in the first ten days of March, fell sharply in the middle of March, and rose first and then fell in the second ten days of March. Overall, the DOP price fluctuated and adjusted, and the DOP market fluctuated and rose. As of March 29, the DOP price was 12325 yuan / ton, up 3.57% from 11900 yuan / ton on March 1 at the beginning of the month. In March, the plasticizer price fluctuated and adjusted, and the plasticizer market was strong and stable.

The price of isooctanol fluctuated and rose in March

According to the price monitoring of business agency, the domestic isooctanol market fluctuated and adjusted in March, and the overall isooctanol price fluctuated and stabilized. As of March 29, the price of isooctanol was 12966.67 yuan / ton, up 4.57% from 12400 yuan / ton on March 1 at the beginning of the month. In the first and middle of March, affected by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the price of isooctanol rose first and then fell, and the overall isooctanol market stabilized; Affected by the epidemic, the price of isooctanol fluctuated and adjusted slightly, the cost of DOP rose, the driving force of DOP rise was large, and the downward pressure remained.

In March, the price of phthalic anhydride rose first and then fell

According to the price monitoring of business society, the price of phthalic anhydride first rose and then fell in March. As of March 29, the price of phthalic anhydride was 8725 yuan / ton, up 8.22% from 8062.50 yuan / ton on March 1 at the beginning of the month. In March, the price of phthalic anhydride rose first and then fell, the cost of DOP raw materials rose, the cost support increased, and the downward pressure weakened; The price of phthalic anhydride rose, the upward support of DOP increased, and the downward pressure weakened.

Future expectations

DOP data analysts of business agency believe that in the first ten days, due to the easing of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, crude oil prices rose and fell broadly, isooctanol and phthalic anhydride were adjusted in a wide range, DOP raw material prices were adjusted in a wide range, DOP rose with great momentum, and the downward pressure remains. In the future, the demand for plasticizers is temporarily stable, the upward momentum of DOP is large, and the downward pressure remains. It is expected that the price shock of DOP will stabilize.

According to the monitoring data of business agency, the price trend of TDI in East China rose first and then stabilized this week. As of March 25, the average market price in East China was 19775 yuan / ton. Compared with the price of 19225 yuan / ton at the end of last week, it increased by 2.86% during the week and 2.20% month on month.

During the week, the TDI market was deadlocked in consolidation and operation. In terms of supply, Gansu Yinguang and Yantai Juli devices had not been restarted, the market spot was tight, and the factory’s attitude of supporting the price continued. At the beginning of the week, the Shanghai factory announced an increase in the guiding price, which boosted the mentality of the field, and the market offer followed up. Then, the downstream follow-up was insufficient, the purchase in the market was weak, coupled with the impact of the epidemic in various places, the logistics and transportation were blocked, the market trading was weak, and the domestic market maintained consolidation. As of the 25th, the quotation range of domestic goods in the distribution market in East China is about 19000-19500 yuan / ton, and the quotation range of Shanghai goods is 19500-20100 yuan / ton, mainly based on actual order negotiation. The dealer’s quotation will rise with the market news, and will be sorted down within the week.

The upstream toluene market was sorted upward, and the price continued to rise during the week. As of March 25, the domestic average price of toluene was about 8057 yuan / ton, down 2.75% from last weekend. International crude oil rose continuously, the cost side support was strong, the operating rate of toluene decreased, the spot supply was tight, the operators were reluctant to sell, and the quotation rose. However, due to the impact of the epidemic situation in various regions, the logistics and transportation were blocked, and the transactions in the toluene market were limited, which affected the increase. The consolidation and operation of the future market was the main factor.

According to the analysis of TDI data division of business agency, at present, the trading volume of domestic TDI market is weak, and the demand follow-up is insufficient due to the impact of the epidemic. Although the cargo carriers intend to explore upstream, the downstream response is slightly flat. It is expected that the TDI market will continue to be in a stalemate, sorting and operation, and the future market trend will wait and see the downstream follow-up.

1、 Price trend

According to the bulk data list of business society, the average price of domestic phosphoric acid was 10200 yuan / ton on March 25, which was the same as that at the beginning of the week, up 94.29% compared with the same period last year.

2、 Market analysis

The focus of phosphoric acid market has shifted upward this week. The price of raw material yellow phosphorus rebounded to 37000 due to the news of Guizhou security inspection and production reduction. The cost support is strong, but the increase of phosphoric acid market is not obvious. The increase range of enterprises is about 200-400 yuan / ton. It mainly digests the raw materials at low prices in the early stage, and the market wait-and-see mood is aggravated. However, the offer of enterprises with low quotation has increased. The high-end price is mostly operated stably, and the overall market has increased steadily. As of the weekend, the price of raw materials was about 37000 yuan / ton, and the market price of phosphoric acid was about 9500-12000 yuan / ton. The quotation in Sichuan is 10000-11000 yuan / ton, that in Hubei is 10500-11000 yuan / ton, that in Shandong is 10500-11000 yuan / ton, and that in Jiangsu is 9500-12000 yuan / ton.

region ., product ., Specifications ., date ., Price., (yuan / ton)

Sichuan region, phosphoric acid ., 85% industrial grade, March 25, 10000-11000

Jiangsu Province, phosphoric acid ., 85% industrial grade, March 25, 9500-12000

Hubei Province, phosphoric acid ., 85% industrial grade, March 25, 10500-11000

Shandong Province, phosphoric acid ., 85% industrial grade, March 25, 10500-11000

For phosphate rock, the domestic phosphate rock market is running upward as a whole this week. The supply of phosphate rock in the site is tight, and the downstream demand performs well. With the support of supply and demand, the market is strong and upward. The quotation of 30% grade phosphate rock freight plant in Guizhou is around 680-750 yuan / ton, and that of 30% grade phosphate rock freight plant in Guangxi is around 690-750 yuan / ton.

Yellow phosphorus, the focus of domestic yellow phosphorus market continues to rise this week. The trading atmosphere on the site is general and the supply of goods is tight. The upstream phosphate rock operates at a high level and the supply is tight. Downstream inquiry increases and replenishment is required. On the whole, the market confidence is good, the upstream and downstream support is strong, and the transaction price of new orders is higher. The price of yellow phosphorus is expected to be strong in the short term.

3、 Future forecast

According to phosphoric acid analysts of business society, at present, the price of raw materials rebounds, the cost support is strengthened, and the phosphoric acid enterprises rise moderately. However, the buyer and the seller are cautious and wait-and-see attitude remains unchanged. It is expected that there will be upward expectations in the short term, and the price trend of raw materials needs to be paid attention to.

According to the data monitoring of business agency: the price of industrial grade and battery grade lithium carbonate in the first quarter is still in a significantly higher range, with a price increase of about 80% in three months. On March 24, the average price of industrial grade lithium carbonate in East China was 480000 yuan / ton, which was 80.45% higher than that at the beginning of the year (the average price of industrial grade lithium carbonate in East China was 266000 yuan / ton on January 1). On March 24, the average price of battery grade lithium carbonate in East China was 501000 yuan / ton, which was 77.66% higher than that at the beginning of the year (the average price of battery grade lithium carbonate in East China was 282000 yuan / ton on January 1). As of March 24, the comprehensive quotation of industrial grade lithium carbonate market is around 445000 ~ 490000 yuan / ton, and the comprehensive quotation of battery grade lithium carbonate market is around 490000 ~ 510000 yuan / ton.

By observing the changes in the market, after the end of the new year’s Day holiday in January, the price of lithium carbonate continued to rise and the quotation continued to set a new high. The shutdown and overhaul of major manufacturers in the market and the gas restriction of natural gas in Qinghai still lead to the low supply and the upward quotation of some enterprises. In mid June, the price of lithium in Wuxi fell sharply, and some enterprises in the market released a little. However, under the circumstances of limited inventory and high downstream demand, it had little impact on the price of lithium carbonate, and the spot price remained high. Downstream lithium iron phosphate enterprises still have some shortage of goods, and ternary manufacturers have sufficient raw materials supported by some long orders.

Then, after the Spring Festival holiday in February, the price of lithium carbonate continued to rise steadily, and the historical high price is still updating. Both upstream and downstream of the market are in the state of resumption of production and work, which makes the market demand gradually increase. In late February, the price of lithium carbonate continued to rise significantly, the supply and demand of lithium ore and lithium salt in the market were still in a tight state, and the gap of domestic lithium carbonate was still obvious. As the demand for new energy vehicles, energy storage and other markets continues to burst, lithium carbonate, as one of the four cathode materials, is also an indispensable raw material in production and manufacturing, so the price is rising all the way.

In March, the rising trend of lithium carbonate price began to slow down. On the supply side, the lithium salt plant basically resumed normal production, and then maintained a high start-up state. With the rise of temperature in Qinghai, the overall supply of lithium carbonate increased. Imported lithium carbonate may also arrive in Hong Kong around April, when the domestic lithium carbonate supply situation will be effectively alleviated. On the demand side, the downstream lithium iron phosphate plate experienced maintenance and production reduction in varying degrees, which slightly slowed down the procurement demand. In the face of lithium salt products with high prices, the cost surge pressure of downstream enterprises increases, the acceptance of high lithium prices is low, and the upstream and downstream are in a game state. In late March, the procurement of downstream material factories was basically completed this month, and the attitude towards the procurement of high priced lithium salt tended to be cautious. There were few market transactions, and most manufacturers were mainly on the sidelines.

The lithium carbonate analyst of business society believes that at present, with the gradual release of lithium carbonate production, the relationship between market supply and demand has been alleviated. Downstream enterprises generally accept high priced lithium carbonate, and the market game will continue. Affected by the supply and demand pattern and sentiment, it is expected that the short-term lithium carbonate price may stop rising and maintain stability.