1. Report Industry Investment Rating - Not provided in the report 2. Core Viewpoints of the Report - The lead market is rated as neutral, with a price range of 16,900 - 17,500 yuan/ton [3] - Supply logic has marginally improved, which will support prices. The production of primary lead is under pressure, and secondary lead enterprises are in a continuous loss state. Some regions are stockpiling lead concentrates for winter, intensifying the raw material shortage. The consumption of lead-acid batteries has recovered, and the finished product inventory of some battery factories has decreased [6] - From a supply - demand perspective, domestic lead inventories have slightly increased. The long - position to inventory ratio of the SHFE lead contract for October is relatively high, and the spot discount has narrowed. Overall, the supply shortage of lead concentrates and the marginal improvement in consumption, along with the enhanced expectation of Fed rate cuts and domestic favorable policies, will support the price in the short - term. In unilateral trading, existing long positions should be held, and new long positions should wait for a good entry point. There are still opportunities for positive spreads in SHFE lead term contracts [6] 3. Summaries by Relevant Catalogs 3.1 Transaction Aspects: Price, Spread, Inventory, Capital, Transaction Volume, Open Interest - **Price**: The closing price of the SHFE lead main contract last week was 17,040 yuan/ton, with a weekly increase of 0.83%. The closing price of the LmeS - Lead 3 last week was 1988, with a weekly increase of 0.00% [7] - **Spread**: The LME lead cash - to - 3 - month spread increased by 2.32 to - 41.16. The spread between the near - month and the first - continuous contract increased by 30 to - 40 [7] - **Inventory**: The total lead inventory in five regions slightly increased from 66,100 tons on September 4th to 67,000 tons on September 11th. The SHFE lead warehouse receipt inventory increased by 5395 to 59,485 tons, and the LME lead inventory decreased by 18,625 to 229,575 tons [6][7] - **Transaction Volume and Open Interest**: The trading volume of the SHFE lead main contract last week was 63,429 lots, an increase of 29,437 lots from the previous week. The open interest was 52,188 lots, an increase of 2762 lots from the previous week. The trading volume of LmeS - Lead 3 was 6480 lots, an increase of 870 lots from the previous week, and the open interest was 142,000 lots, an increase of 6194 lots from the previous week [7] 3.2 Lead Supply: Lead Concentrates, Scrap Batteries, Primary Lead, Secondary Lead - **Lead Concentrates**: The spot import TC of 60% lead concentrate remained at - 90 dollars/ton this week. The domestic lead concentrate processing fee decreased by 50 to 350 yuan/ton. Some regions are stockpiling lead concentrates for winter, intensifying the raw material shortage [6][7] - **Primary Lead and Secondary Lead**: The production of primary lead is under pressure, with smelters in Henan under continuous maintenance and a smelter in Qinghai about to start maintenance. Secondary lead enterprises have been in a loss state, but the profit situation has started to improve, and some enterprises in Anhui and Hubei have resumed production [6] - **Scrap Batteries and Secondary Lead**: The price of scrap batteries has been under continuous pressure, and the smelting profit situation has started to improve. The raw material inventory of secondary lead smelting enterprises shows a certain trend [38] 3.3 Lead Demand: Lead - Acid Batteries, End - Users - **Lead - Acid Batteries**: The consumption peak season of lead - acid batteries fell short of expectations, and the operating rate of lead - acid battery enterprises only increased seasonally. The consumption of lead - acid batteries has recovered, the finished product inventory of some battery factories has decreased, and the operating rate of large - scale lead - acid battery enterprises has increased seasonally [6] - **End - Users**: The actual consumption of lead shows a certain trend, and the production of automobiles and motorcycles also presents corresponding data trends [47]