It is worth noting that the overall overseas ternary cathode demand outlook for 2026 remains subdued. The U.S. market has been sluggish since the fourth quarter of last year, prompting many overseas manufacturers to place their hopes on the European market.
Mar 20, 2026 17:01Raw material side, spot lithium carbonate prices fluctuated this week, cobalt sulphate prices remained temporarily stable, and nickel sulphate prices dropped slightly.
Mar 19, 2026 19:12Current manufacturer expectations for this month and April remain cautious, with some companies having already lowered their April production forecasts.
Mar 19, 2026 16:45As of Thursday this week, the average SMM battery-grade nickel sulphate price edged down slightly WoW. Demand side, trading sentiment was weak in mid-month, and some producers made inquiries recently, but as downstream orders remained unclear, acceptance of high-priced nickel salt was weak; supply side, due to uncertainty in Indonesia's recent MHP supply, MHP payables moved higher, driving up raw material costs for some producers and correspondingly lifting their quotes. Looking ahead, with the month-end procurement period approaching, attention should be paid to support from the raw material side for nickel sulphate prices. Inventory, this week upstream nickel salt smelter inventory index held at 4.7 days, downstream precursor plant inventory index fell from 7.1 days to 6.8 days, and integrated enterprises' inventory index held at 6.8 days; in terms of buyer-seller strength, this week the upstream nickel salt smelters' Willingness to Sell Sentiment Factor held at 1.8, the downstream precursor plants' procurement sentiment factor fell from 2.7 to 2.6, and integrated enterprises' sentiment factor held at 2.4. (Historical data is available in the database.)
Mar 19, 2026 13:24[SMM Weekly Review of the Lithium Battery Electrolyte Market: Electrolyte Prices Remained Temporarily Stable This Week (2026.3.16-3.19)] From March 16 to March 19, 2026, electrolyte prices remained temporarily stable. Considering the overall trend in cost-side changes and the supply-demand pattern, electrolyte prices are expected to remain temporarily stable in the short term.
Mar 19, 2026 17:39On March 18, the SMM average price of battery-grade nickel sulphate remained unchanged.
Mar 18, 2026 15:20Dear User, In order to enhance the accuracy and reference value of our data services, and based on comprehensive research and evaluation, SMM has decided to optimize and adjust the historical data related to ternary precursors. This adjustment involves the removal of certain redundant capacity data, with corresponding data points being updated accordingly. The specific scope of the adjustment is as follows: The aforementioned data updates will officially take effect on December 10, 2025 . Should you have any questions regarding this adjustment or require further clarification, please feel free to contact us at any time: Thomas Feng, Senior Research Manager, Nickel Industry Research Department (Phone: 021-51666714, Email: fengdisheng@smm.cn) Yizhou Wang, Ternary Precursor & Ternary Cathode Analyst, Nickel Industry Research Department (Phone: 021-51595909, Email: wangyizhou@smm.cn). Thank you for your continued attention and support for SMM. Nickel Industry Research Department Shanghai Metals Market December 1, 2025
DataDec 1, 2025 17:45Dear User, To further optimize the SMM ternary cathode precursor data service and better align it with market demands, we are adjusting the naming of certain monthly ternary precursor output data points. The specific changes are as follows: Additionally, to more precisely meet customer needs, we are now splitting the monthly output data for 7-series, 8-series, 9-series, and NCA ternary precursors, providing independent data for each series. The newly added and adjusted data points are as follows: Based on the above adjustments, the data points for the monthly output forecast values of ternary precursors have been simultaneously updated. The specific changes are as follows: Thank you for your continued attention and support for SMM's new energy and nickel data services. SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. New Energy and Nickel Research Team August 21, 2025
DataAug 21, 2025 20:08Dear Useres, With the deep reshaping of the new energy industry chain, the strategic position of sulphur, a traditional bulk raw material, is undergoing a fundamental transformation. Historically, price fluctuations in sulphur-sulphuric acid primarily affected traditional industries such as phosphate fertilisers and titanium dioxide. However, as lithium iron phosphate (LFP) has become the mainstream cathode material for power batteries, the production of its core precursor, iron phosphate, heavily relies on high-purity phosphoric acid, which in turn uses sulphuric acid as its raw material. This enables price fluctuations in the sulphur-sulphuric acid chain to be directly and rapidly transmitted to the cost of LFP. Similarly, in areas such as nickel-cobalt smelting and precursor preparation, sulphuric acid is a key auxiliary material, and its price directly impacts the cost of products like battery-grade nickel sulphate and cobalt sulphate. The emergence of new demands: Sulphur itself, as a key sulphur source for lithium sulphide and sulphide solid-state electrolytes (such as LPSC), is seeing its material purity and supply stability begin to attract attention from cutting-edge battery technology R&D. As an authoritative information institution long dedicated to the non-ferrous metals and new energy materials sectors, SMM, after a period of consolidation and market surveys, plans to introduce new sulphur price points starting December 12, aiming to provide the market with more precise pricing anchors and price references. The specific new price points are as follows: Sulphur: Solid, Sulphur (S) content ≥99.0%, Price Description: Ex-factory price (buyer's self pick-up price), including 13% VAT. SMM New Energy Research Team December 04, 2025 Sulphur Price
PriceDec 15, 2025 10:18