Hot News

• 

  【SMM Analysis】Weekly Hydromet Update: Minor Salt Price Gains, Mixed Black Mass Rates

  This week, prices for salt products such as cobalt sulfate and lithium carbonate saw slight increases, while nickel sulfate prices mainly fluctuated, experiencing a minor dip driven by declining nickel prices. The nickel and cobalt recovery rates for black mass like ternary and lithium cobalt oxide remained largely stable, while the lithium recovery rate saw a slight increase. The lithium point price for LFP black mass also continued to rise. Currently, the lithium point price for LFP cathode black mass is RMB 2,200-2,350 per lithium point, and for LFP battery black mass it is RMB 2,000-2,200 per lithium point, representing an increase of RMB 50 per lithium point compared to last week.

• 【SMM Analysis】Weekly Battery Black Mass & Salt Price Update (2025.7.7-2025.7.11)

  This week, salt products like cobalt sulfate and lithium carbonate continued to see price increases. Nickel sulfate prices mainly fluctuated, but due to insufficient demand support in the short term, prices trended upward. This week, coefficients for materials like ternary black mass and lithium cobalt oxide black mass saw slight increases.Currently, the lithium point price for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode black mass is RMB 2,150-2,300 per lithium point, while for LFP battery black mass it is RMB 1,950-2,150 per lithium point.

• Review of Domestic Aluminum Prices in H1 2025: "Unexpected Events" Frequently Occur, Aluminum Prices Remain Resilient [SMM Analysis]

  [SMM Analysis: Review of Domestic Aluminum Prices in H1 2025: "Unexpected Events" Frequently Occur, Aluminum Prices Remain Resilient]Under the influence of frequent "unexpected events" in both macro and fundamental aspects, aluminum prices fluctuated more severely in the first half of 2025. In Q1, the domestic fundamental situation was better than the off-season performance in previous years, providing support for aluminum futures and spot prices. In Q2, the Sino-US tariff battle intensified, causing aluminum futures and spot prices to plummet. However, upon reviewing the trend, it can be seen that after the market sentiment was digested, aluminum prices rebounded rapidly, demonstrating resilience. Additionally, the social inventory of aluminum ingots in the off-season from May to June decreased unexpectedly, leading aluminum futures and spot prices to rise strongly during the off-season, with outstanding performance. Overall, the center of aluminum prices in H1 2025 showed a trend of oscillating upward. The average spot aluminum price in H1 2025 was around 20,318 yuan/mt, up 2.6% from H1 2024.

• China Zinc/Lead Market Weekly Updates - 2025/7/18

  The SMM Imported Zinc Concentrate Index for this week is $73.75/dmt, with a 10.94% WoW increase. The SMM Imported Lead Concentrate average spot TC for this week is $-55/dmt, flat from the previous week's figure......

• Short-Term Macro Disturbances + Technical Correction: Where Will Silver Prices Head After This Consolidation Phase?

  With silver hitting decade-highs since 2012: ◼ Short-term: Position squaring by longs has intensified bull-bear battles, raising correction risks ◼ Medium-term: Structural support remains from:Tight physical supply (global inventory drawdowns)  and  ustained industrial demand (8%+ annual PV sector growth)