According to the monitoring of the commodity market analysis system of Business Society, the prices of industrial grade lithium carbonate and battery grade lithium carbonate have shown a stable, moderate, and slight upward trend after the May Day holiday. On May 9th, the average domestic mixed price of industrial grade lithium carbonate was 109200 yuan/ton, an increase of 0.74% compared to the average price of 108400 yuan/ton on May 1st. On May 9th, the average domestic mixed price of battery grade lithium carbonate was 116200 yuan/ton, an increase of 0.69% compared to the average price of 115400 yuan/ton on May 1st.

By observing market changes, it can be seen that the spot market for lithium carbonate has remained relatively calm during the May Day holiday, and there has been a slight increase in market resumption prices after the holiday. In terms of supply, some lithium salt companies still maintain a positive attitude towards selling individual orders. In addition, the market price of lithium carbonate futures increased at the beginning of the week, and some lithium salt companies slightly increased their prices for individual orders.

According to Chilean customs data on May 3rd, Chile exported approximately 22900 tons of lithium carbonate to China in April, a month on month increase of 42.27% and a year-on-year increase of 162.25%. From January to April, the cumulative amount was approximately 64873 tons, a cumulative year-on-year increase of 60.34%. The domestic import of lithium carbonate may show an upward trend around May, which will provide supplementary supply to the domestic market.

In terms of demand, downstream enterprises such as positive electrodes have already prepared their goods in advance before the May Day holiday, and their raw material inventory is sufficient to support production orders for a period of time in the future. Additionally, some of the purchased goods have arrived during the holiday. Downstream enterprises tend to adopt a wait-and-see attitude after the holiday, and the market transaction situation is relatively flat. Downstream material suppliers may adopt a strategy of purchasing at lower prices at the current price.

The lithium hydroxide market is operating steadily, with large factories mainly delivering long-term orders. The downstream demand for high nickel materials is still good, and the new energy and energy storage market is performing well. The demand side procurement or just in need follow-up is still the main trend. The market procurement mentality is still cautious, and the lithium hydroxide market may be wait-and-see, with little price fluctuation.

The downstream price of lithium iron phosphate is operating steadily. Due to sufficient pre holiday stocking in the downstream market, the supply of phosphoric acid is insufficient and the price of lithium carbonate is slightly rising, which provides some support to the cost side. With the end of the May Day holiday, lithium iron phosphate has maintained its current trend in the near future, with limited price fluctuations and a focus on stable observation.

In terms of futures, the price of lithium carbonate futures fluctuated and continued to fluctuate. On May 9th, the opening price of the LC2407 main contract was 112500 yuan/ton, the closing price was 111700 yuan/ton, and the highest price was 113450 yuan/ton, with a daily decline of 0.76%. The transaction volume was 136100 lots, and the position was 193390 lots.

According to analysts from Shengyishe Lithium Carbonate, there is currently a large inventory reserve in the downstream market of lithium carbonate, and the current spot price of lithium carbonate is mostly higher than its procurement expectations, resulting in scarce market transactions. Some downstream enterprises have set the procurement node for May to be in mid to late May, and it is expected that the short-term spot price of lithium carbonate will remain stable, while observing market demand.