Oversupply and increased competition from lower-priced synthetic graphite are likely to continue to put downward pressure on natural flake graphite prices over the next few years, sources in Shanghai told Fastmarkets.

Cobalt standard grade prices were stable in the week ended Friday April 5, due to poor demand for cobalt intermediates following price increases in early February amid tight supply in Europe.

Spot lithium carbonate and hydroxide battery grade prices in the seaborne Asia market were stable in the week to Thursday April 4, with conditions quiet due to a public holiday in China, sources told Fastmarkets

Payables for nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) black mass in the CIF South Korea market picked up in March amid stronger demand and improving battery raw materials prices

Read more about how we are segmenting our lithium price assessments for western markets

China’s lithium prices extended loss over the week to Thursday March 28 after a major slump in the futures market on Monday March 25, while consumers continued to restock on a hand-to-mouth basis, sources told Fastmarkets

Chile’s government has laid out its plan to significantly boost the country’s lithium production, opening up 26 lithium salt flats for private investment and naming the Atacama and Maricunga salt flats as strategic to the state.

The result of Albemarle’s spodumene concentrate digital bidding event on Tuesday March 26 was 9,372 yuan ($1,230) per tonne on an ex-works China basis, according to sources close to the matter

China’s graphite exports continued to fall in the first two months of 2024 after the implementation of the export controls on certain graphite-related products on December 1, 2023

Producing battery-grade manganese sulfate in China is “logical” even for non-Chinese companies, due to the country’s strong demand and cost competitiveness, according to the chief executive officer of emerging Australia-headquartered producer Firebird Metals