SMM, August 13: Prices in the waste lead-acid battery market held steady today. Some smelters continued to raise purchase quotes, with the waste e-bike lead-acid battery purchase price raised by 20-100 yuan/mt, while adjustments for waste automotive lead-acid battery (white shell) and black shell varied. Recycling traders had already completed price adjustments following smelters over the previous two days. Today, recycling quotes in Hebei, Shandong, Sichuan, Fujian, and Northeast China, among other regions, remained unchanged, and the market as a whole showed relatively strong wait-and-see sentiment. Purchases on the recycling side were moderate; suppliers showed weak willingness to sell, and they mainly held back from selling and took a wait-and-see stance. A survey showed that although some smelters continued to raise purchase prices today, recycling traders had not yet followed the increase, mainly waiting to see whether smelters would adjust prices further, or waiting until prices gradually stabilized before making adjustments. Scrap battery prices are expected to remain stable with a wait-and-see sentiment in the short term. If some smelters continue to raise purchase quotes, e-bike battery prices still have some upside room; if smelters stabilize their pace of price adjustments, recycling-side quotes may hold at current levels.

[SMM Lead Morning Meeting Minutes: Macro Tailwinds Boost Lead Prices; Watch for Risks of a Retreat After Rapid Rise Amid Tug-of-War between Sellers and Buyers] The macro front saw mixed signals. A weaker US dollar lifted base metals broadly, and lead prices may continue to consolidate at highs. Fundamentals side, supply-side expectations for production cuts remain...

SMM March 17 News: Today, the waste lead-acid battery market was stable with supplementary gains. Some recycling traders raised their battery price quotes by 50–100 yuan/mt from the previous day, mainly a supplementary increase following smelters' price adjustments yesterday afternoon; smelters, having just completed price adjustments yesterday, kept their purchase price quotes largely flat from the previous day, with no consecutive price chasing seen for now. A survey showed that some recyclers believed prices still had upside room, with a low willingness to sell, mainly holding back from selling and staying on the sidelines. In the short term, scrap battery prices have been generally stable recently, and with smelters having just completed a round of adjustments, the momentum for widespread consecutive hikes is temporarily limited; however, if recyclers continue to hold back from selling and market supply remains tight, price quotes may still edge up in some areas. Scrap battery prices are expected to be mostly stable with localized strength on the following day, with focus on actual smelter arrivals, purchasing enthusiasm, and recyclers' shipment pace.

August production schedules were further under pressure, with the MoM impact on refined lead reaching -22,300 mt. Most enterprises had held a pessimistic view on the market outlook earlier, making maintenance and low-load operations the norm. Many smelters postponed their originally planned production resumptions for August to September.

SMM August 11 News: Anhui dealers reported that e-bike lead-acid battery market demand was weak, the wholesale battery market maintained a promotional atmosphere, with the main model 48V12Ah wholesale price at 270-280 yuan per set, battery inventory was nearly one month, and only a few battery models were restocked. Zhejiang manufacturers reported that e-bike lead-acid battery market demand was weak, finished product orders had not improved, the factory produced based on sales, with an operating rate around 70%, lead prices had risen recently, and production focused on consuming existing lead inventory. Jiangsu manufacturers reported that the traditional peak season for the e-bike lead-acid battery market was underperforming, dealer purchasing enthusiasm was low, battery inventory digestion was slow, the factory's operating rate was maintained at around 70%, and raw material lead was procured only on a just-in-time basis.

SMM, August 11: The waste lead-acid battery market consolidated with slight gains today. Some secondary lead smelters successively raised their purchase quotes by 20-100 yuan/mt, while others held prices steady for the time being, with regional price adjustment paces diverging. As earlier expectations for price hikes were gradually met, market sentiment warmed up. Some recyclers still held expectations of further price increases, turning cautious in selling and waiting for additional price adjustments from smelters. Overall circulation of social sources was moderate, and smelters had not yet engaged in widespread aggressive buying to chase higher prices. Scrap battery prices are expected to continue to consolidate on a strong note in the short term. Monitor lead price trends, recyclers' willingness to sell, smelters' arrivals, and subsequent price adjustments.