Battery-grade lithium carbonate prices hit record highs

　　Since late July, the price of domestic battery-grade lithium carbonate has continued to rise slightly
.
According to the monitoring of Shanghai Nonferrous Metals Network, on August 8, the spot price of battery-grade lithium carbonate rose by 1,500 yuan (ton price, the same below) in a single day, with an average price of 473,000 yuan, hitting a new high in the past three months
.

　　From the perspective of raw materials, on August 8, the average price of spodumene concentrate exceeded US$5,000 and was reported at US$5,030
.
The mining cycle of lithium concentrate on the resource side is long, and the speed of resource release in the short term is not as fast as the expansion speed of downstream lithium battery demand
.
Australian lithium miner Pilbara once again sold a high price of US$6,350 at the spodumene concentrate auction on August 2, up 2.
6% from the previous auction price, supporting the high and volatile price of lithium concentrate
.

　　The analysis of CITIC Securities believes that the output of lithium concentrate in Australia increased significantly in the second quarter, but disturbance factors such as the decline in ore grade and labor shortage still exist
.
Since July, the price of Australian lithium concentrate has risen to US$7,000, which has led to a rapid rise in the production cost of domestic lithium salts.
Therefore, the price of battery-grade lithium carbonate is more certain to rise in the later period
.
However, due to factors such as the accumulation of inventory in the industry chain, it is expected that the price increase of battery-grade lithium carbonate will be limited in the later stage
.