[Silicon Metal Market Sees Rising Bargaining Sentiment, Focus on Changes in Supply-Side Operating Rates]: This week, the silicon metal market remained in a bargaining stalemate, with the price center of some specifications edging up slightly. As of March 26, SMM east China oxygen-blown #553 silicon was at 9,100-9,300 yuan/mt, up 100 yuan/mt WoW. #441 silicon was at 9,300-9,500 yuan/mt, flat WoW, and #3303 silicon was at 10,200-10,400 yuan/mt, also flat WoW. In the futures market, affected by sentiment and expectations surrounding supply-side factors such as “self-discipline among silicon enterprises and anti-involution,” the most-traded silicon metal contract continued to hold up well over the past week, closing at 8,735 yuan/mt late on Thursday with a notable gain. In terms of quotations, silicon enterprises mostly kept shipment quotes stable, with some quotes testing slight increases; the quote center of trading firms engaging in both spot and futures market rose markedly, and low-priced cargoes disappeared. As downstream acceptance of high prices was limited, high-priced transactions in the market were difficult to conclude.

[SMM Silicone Weekly Review: Silicone Market Transaction Center Stabilized, Downstream Purchased as Needed on Price Dips] This week, the transaction range in China's silicone DMC market was 13,800-14,300 yuan/mt, stable WoW. By regional quotes, monomer enterprises in Shandong quoted 14,000 yuan/mt, while mainstream monomer enterprises in other regions mostly quoted 14,300 yuan/mt. After the phased price fluctuations last week, the main transaction range gradually stabilized.

[SMM Lithium Battery Electrolyte Market Weekly Review: Electrolyte Prices Remained Temporarily Stable This Week (2026.3.23-3.26)] From March 23 to March 26, 2026, electrolyte prices remained temporarily stable. Subsequent price trends will still need to focus on changes in upstream raw material prices

This week, the cobalt chloride market atmosphere saw no significant improvement, and the stalemate continued. Top-tier enterprises remained firm in their willingness to hold prices firm, with mainstream quotations continuing to stay above 116,000 yuan/mt and the highest quotations still at 120,000 yuan/mt. However, downstream procurement sentiment remained cautious, and market inquiries showed no recovery. Overall downstream demand was relatively pessimistic, leading Co3O4 enterprises to become more cautious in raw material procurement. Actual transactions were still mainly sporadic restocking, with the transaction center stable at around 115,000 yuan/mt. Overall, the market still lacked a direct driver to break the deadlock in the short term, and prices were expected to remain stable. SMM New Energy Research Team Wang Cong 021-51,666,838 Ma Rui 021-51,595,780 Feng Disheng 021-51,666,714 Lv Yanlin 021-20,707,875 Zhou Zhicheng 021-51,666,711

This week, prices in the second-life battery market were generally stable, while the market's structural divergence remained evident. Cost side, trends in various raw materials diverged, with overall costs rising slightly. Lithium carbonate prices increased, pushing up battery cell recycling and processing costs; nickel sulphate and cobalt sulphate prices remained stable, easing one-sided cost pressure, and costs edged up mildly over the week. Supply side, supply of popular energy storage battery cell models was tight, with limited spot availability; conventional models were sufficiently available, and no broad-based shortage emerged in the market. Demand side, the gap between energy storage and the EV market remained wide. Demand in the EV sector stayed sluggish, with low purchasing enthusiasm and insufficient support for prices; energy storage demand remained the mainstay of the market, with stable rigid demand. However, prices were currently at high levels, downstream purchasing became more rational, willingness to purchase at high prices declined, and further price increases were currently facing resistance.

This week, ternary cathode precursor prices increased slightly, while sulphate prices were all flat today. Discounts, for April and Q2 orders, some producers were willing to raise discounts due to large fluctuations in raw material prices. Long-term contracts, some producers recently finalized long-term agreements. As downstream demand was relatively weak, discount increases were expected to be limited, but there was some room for negotiation on processing fees. Spot orders, the Ni-Co-Mn coefficient for spot orders rose this month, and with current downstream procurement sentiment weak, further upside room was expected to be limited. Production, leading producers in China and those with relatively large export orders still maintained high operating intensity. Looking ahead, recent sulphate costs provided strong support, but downstream acceptance remained subject to observation of downstream demand in Q2.