The rally in Chinese lithium prices paused in the week to Thursday September 30, with sentiment turning slightly more cautious owing to power restrictions being implemented in some battery materials production hubs.
Chinese lithium prices stabilize; hydroxide trades still active ahead of week-long National Day holiday (October 1-7).Seaborne Asian lithium market also stable, but spot activity thins.Hydroxide prices in Europe and the United States edge higher, find support from firm carbonate prices.
Battery-grade lithium carbonate and hydroxide prices in China were stable in the week ahead of the country's National Day holiday, with participants turning more cautious amid extensive power cuts in several Chinese provinces.
Multiple production hubs of battery precursor and cathode materials have been affected by the fresh round of power restrictions, with
operations at certain plants reduced by 30-70%, market sources told Fastmarkets.
Despite uncertainty surrounding the timeline of these power cuts, some market participants were still optimistic and expected operations to mostly resume at affected plants following the National Day break, while others have taken a more watchful stance.
At the same time, with lithium...