GLOBAL LITHIUM WRAP: China, Japan absence stalls global battery-grade lithium spot prices

Global battery-grade lithium spot market prices moved sideways week on week while China, Japan and other countries were away from the market for public holidays.

The market was slow this week amid a lack of market activity and national holidays that have added to the decelerated activity of some companies across the European and US market, most market participants that spoke to Fastmarkets said.

Fastmarkets assessed the battery-grade lithium carbonate (min 99.5% Li2CO3) spot market price at $11.50-13.50 per kg on a duty paid Europe and US basis on Thursday May 2, unchanged week on week.

While, Fastmarkets assessment for the battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate (min 56.5% LiOH.H2O) price was at $14.50-15.50 per kg, duty paid Europe and US, also flat from the previous assessment.

“The battery-grade lithium carbonate spot price in Europe has been very stable week on week. We have not purchased any additional material this week but the market seems very stable,” a consumer told Fastmarkets.

“Different consumers were shut down this week due to national holidays and we have not received many material inquiries. We don’t expect much price movement in the battery-grade lithium hydroxide market this week and probably until next week, when consumers return to the market,” a producer told Fastmarkets.

Fastmarkets’ assessments for the spot market prices covering the domestic Chinese price and the seaborne cif China, Japan and Korea market were rolled over week on week as per the methodology and the trade log for the Chinese domestic battery grade lithium carbonate spot price will not be published this week.

For access to April’s lithium trade log click here.

Pricing notice
On Friday 3, Fastmarkets MB has migrated six lithium prices that cover the battery-grade lithium carbonate and hydroxide spot and contract markets on a delivered duty paid Europe and United States basis from its Battery Raw Material Market Tracker on to the Fastmarkets website.

To learn more about Fastmarkets new lithium price assessments, please read this pricing notice here.

Learn more about Fastmarkets’ lithium pricing methodology here and read the latest lithium price spotlight here.

All lithium carbonate, hydroxide and spodumene prices are available in our Battery Raw Materials Market Tracker. Get a sample of the report here.