华金期货碳酸锂月度报告：供给增加难抵强需求，低库存支撑碳酸锂震荡偏强-20251202

Report Industry Investment Rating - The report does not provide an industry investment rating. Core Viewpoints of the Report - The overall view of lithium carbonate is that it presents a pattern of increasing supply, high demand, and inventory depletion. The market is hot, and the supply - demand tension is marginally alleviated but there is still a gap. It is expected that the price will fluctuate strongly in December [2]. - The risk points are the resumption of mica ore production and the slowdown of demand growth [3]. Summary According to the Table of Contents I. Market Review (1) November Futures Market Trend of Lithium Carbonate - In November 2025, the futures price of lithium carbonate showed a significant upward trend. Affected by factors such as increased energy - storage demand, the price was supported at 80,000 yuan and strengthened. After the speech of the chairman of Ganfeng Lithium, the futures price rose by the daily limit on November 17th. However, due to exchange policy regulation and Goldman Sachs' bearish report, the price dropped sharply on November 21st. Then, after the speech of the chairman of Tianqi Lithium, the LC2605 price rose by 5% [6][7][8]. - The monthly cumulative trading volume of lithium carbonate futures was 26.99 million lots, and the open interest was 1.07 million lots, setting a record high since listing. The monthly increase of the main contract LC2605 in November reached 19.42% [9]. (2) November Spot and Basis of Lithium Carbonate - In November, the spot price of lithium carbonate continued to rise. The average price of electric - grade lithium carbonate was 93,700 yuan/ton, and that of industrial - grade lithium carbonate was 91,300 yuan/ton, with a 17% increase from the previous month. The price of lithium hydroxide increased by 8 - 9%, and the price difference between lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide widened, indicating strong demand for lithium carbonate [12]. - The basis once expanded to - 10,000 yuan/ton and then fell back to - 2,500 yuan/ton at the end of November. The spot price closely followed the futures price, and the price difference reached a new high since February last year [18]. (3) Price Trends of the Upstream and Downstream of the Lithium Carbonate Industry Chain - In November, the prices of the upstream and downstream of lithium carbonate generally increased. The price of Australian SC6 spodumene increased by 24% to 1,217 US dollars/ton. The price of lithium hexafluorophosphate increased by 58%, driving the electrolyte price up by 36%. The monthly increase of lithium iron phosphate was nearly 10%, and that of ternary materials was 3 - 5% [20]. II. Upstream Analysis of Lithium Carbonate (1) Lithium Ore Price Trend and Lithium Carbonate Production Profit - In November, the price of Australian SC6 spodumene concentrate increased from 985 US dollars/ton to 1,217.5 US dollars/ton, with a 23.6% increase. The prices of spodumene concentrates from Brazil and Africa also rose significantly. The price of lithium mica concentrate increased to 2,600 yuan/ton, with a 19.3% monthly increase [21]. - The production profit of purchasing spodumene fell back to near the break - even point, and the loss of purchasing mica decreased as the lithium price rose [25]. (2) Lithium Ore Supply, Demand, and Inventory - In November, as the price of lithium carbonate continued to rise, the supply of lithium ore gradually increased. Although the available inventory in warehouses was low, the inventory of port traders continued to rise. The inventory of lithium salt plants recovered compared with before. The supply of mica ore was still tight due to production suspension in Jiangxi. The current upstream resource supply mainly came from salt lakes and spodumene [28]. - The Jiaxiaowo lithium mine in Jiangxi was still shut down, and it was expected to resume production at the end of December or early next year at the earliest [33]. III. Supply Analysis of Lithium Carbonate (1) Lithium Carbonate Production - In November, the production of lithium carbonate was about 95,000 tons, a month - on - month increase of 3,000 tons. The production of battery - grade lithium carbonate was 70,000 tons, and that of industrial - grade lithium carbonate was 25,000 tons. The main production source was spodumene, with an output of nearly 58,000 tons [34][38]. - The overall capacity utilization rate of lithium carbonate was 56%. The capacity utilization rates of spodumene and salt - lake sources were higher than the average, while that of lithium mica was low [43]. (2) Lithium Carbonate Import and Export - In October, the import of lithium carbonate was 23,900 tons, and the export was 246 tons, with a net import of 23,600 tons, a month - on - month increase of nearly 4,200 tons. Chile and Argentina were the main import sources, accounting for over 90% of the total import. The average import price in October was 8,931 US dollars/ton, a 300 - US - dollar increase from the previous month [46][51]. (3) Production and Apparent Demand of Lithium Hydroxide - In November, the production of lithium hydroxide was nearly 30,000 tons, almost the same as last year and a month - on - month increase of 650 tons. In October, the net export of lithium hydroxide was 1,597 tons. Assuming the same net - export situation in November, the apparent demand was 28,000 tons, at a relatively high historical level [52]. IV. Downstream Demand Analysis of Lithium Carbonate (1) Sales of New - Energy Vehicles - In October, the sales of new - energy vehicles were 1.72 million, a 20% year - on - year increase. From January to October, the cumulative sales were 12.91 million, a 33% year - on - year increase. From January to October, the cumulative export was 1.93 million, an 86% year - on - year increase, accounting for 15% of the total sales. Pure - electric vehicles accounted for 65%, and the penetration rate of new - energy vehicle sales reached 51.6%, exceeding that of traditional vehicles [54][59]. (2) Production of Lithium Batteries and Cells - In November, the production of lithium batteries by sample enterprises was nearly 200 GWh, of which lithium iron phosphate batteries accounted for 77% with a production of 154 GWh. The production of power cells in November was 128 GWh, a 35% increase from the end of last year, and that of energy - storage cells was 58 GWh, a 53% increase. The inventory - to - sales ratio of cells continued to decline [60][63]. (3) Production of Cathode Materials and Electrolytes - Since the middle of this year, the demand for lithium iron phosphate cathode materials has "exploded". In November, the production was 413,000 tons, a 44% year - on - year increase. From January to November, the production of ternary materials was 738,000 tons, a 17% increase from the same period last year. The operating rates of lithium iron phosphate and ternary materials continued to rise [67][68]. - In November, the price of lithium hexafluorophosphate increased by 58%, and the price of electrolyte increased by 36%. In October, the production of electrolyte was 210,000 tons, a month - on - month increase of 10,000 tons, and the production of lithium hexafluorophosphate was 25,000 tons, a month - on - month increase of 3,000 tons [72]. V. Lithium Carbonate Inventory - As of the end of November, the sample social inventory of lithium carbonate was 116,000 tons, a decrease of 27,000 tons from the peak in late July. The inventory days decreased from the maximum of 45 days to 26 days. The refinery inventory decreased to 24,000 tons, and the inventory days were 5.5 days, a new low in more than a year [73]. - From July to November is the destocking season, and then the inventory will rise until June. Due to strong demand, lithium carbonate may continue to be destocked in December, but the destocking speed will slow down. The exchange inventory has been lower than the same - period level this year, especially from October to November when it decreased significantly [76][80]. VI. Summary and Future Forecast of Lithium Carbonate - In November, lithium carbonate and related industries showed a significant upward trend. In December, the supply - demand contradiction still exists, but it will be marginally alleviated. There is still a supply - demand gap [83][84]. - In terms of supply, the production of lithium carbonate in November was about 95,300 tons, a 5.9% month - on - month increase. It is expected that after mid - December, the production in Jiangxi's core mining areas will gradually resume, with a 3% increase in December. The import volume in December is expected to reach about 26,000 tons. The production of lithium hydroxide is expected to remain at about 30,000 tons. The total production of lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide will reach a new high in December, with a total supply of 150,000 tons in terms of LCE [84]. - In terms of demand, the demand is mainly from the explosive growth of energy - storage demand. In December, the demand is expected to decline slightly, but the new capacity of Hubei Bangpu Yichang Base will support the overall supply [85]. - In terms of inventory, the inventory is lower than the historical average. In December, lithium carbonate may continue to be destocked, but at a slower pace. Overall, lithium carbonate will maintain a fluctuating and strong trend in the future [87].