June 18 market briefing

The lithium hexafluorophosphate market remains in a consolidation phase, with domestic prices ranging from 50,000 to 51,000 yuan per ton. Actual transactions have seen the lower end fall below 50,000 yuan per ton. Meanwhile, the domestic average price of industrial-grade lithium carbonate is 59,000 yuan per ton, and that of battery-grade lithium carbonate is 60,000 yuan per ton. Anhydrous hydrogen fluoride has continued to decline since its June pricing. Currently, lithium spodumene, lithium mica, and lithium extraction from recycling are all suffering losses. Salt lake lithium production has increased as expected. Domestic and international lithium ore prices have temporarily stabilized, but low-priced lithium salts have dampened downstream purchasing intentions. Although lithium prices have reached the industry's perceived bottom, the upward momentum in the short term remains insufficient. The lithium fluoride market has continued to decline, with few transaction orders. The price range of battery-grade lithium fluoride is 115,000 to 117,000 yuan per ton. The growth rate of downstream electrolyte production has significantly slowed down, and market expectations have not improved. Electronic-grade hydrofluoric acid has been dragged down by the decline in the price of hydrogen fluoride. Currently, the photovoltaic sector has become the main source of demand, but the reduction in demand has led to a production adjustment by enterprises, which has had a significant impact on the photovoltaic acid market. The proportion of high-end applications such as integrated circuits in demand is low, and market enthusiasm has significantly declined. Due to the decline in raw material prices, the price of electronic-grade hydrofluoric acid is unlikely to improve, restricting the consumption of hydrogen fluoride within the year. It is expected that the market will continue to decline in July and August.