Lithium carbonate prices were at the CNY 300,000 per tonne level in late May, the highest since March and holding the sharp rebound from the 19-month low of CNY 165,500 from April 24th amid a recovery in demand for electric vehicle batteries. The latest data showed that NEV sales and output in China both soared by 110% year-on-year in April, trimming concerns about poor demand levels at the start of the year. During the first quarter, the drop in demand coincided with a significant oversupply of batteries as producers took advantage of final inflows of government subsidies and ramped up production until the end of 2022, creating unsustainably high inventory levels. Robust expectations for longer-term demand also supported lithium prices, as government incentives to switch to EVs lead analysts to forecast that lithiu8m demand by 2040 will be 16 times higher than present-day levels.
ESS Price at posting:
45.0¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
