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Mid-Nickel",103.5,99.73,3.78,13.78,6.78,[518,519,520,522,524,526,528,530,532,534,536,538],{"date":213,"value":512},{"date":216,"value":513},{"date":219,"value":521},99.19,{"date":222,"value":523},96.02,{"date":225,"value":525},98.23,{"date":467,"value":527},99.24,{"date":329,"value":529},101.29,{"date":339,"value":531},87.61,{"date":341,"value":533},92.44,{"date":344,"value":535},90.96,{"date":347,"value":537},92.24,{"date":350,"value":539},95.09,{"id":541,"uuid":542,"name":543,"slug":544,"full_slug":545,"content":546,"relatedArticles":707,"relatedVideos":708},112470847092907,"a9e35b25-6750-4dd8-8941-eb45d66f4d81","Chinese cathode prices fall as cell makers squeeze producers","chinese-cathode-prices-fall-as-cell-makers-squeeze-producers","article/chinese-cathode-prices-fall-as-cell-makers-squeeze-producers",{"_uid":547,"date":548,"tags":549,"editor":553,"content":563,"excerpt":686,"featured":51,"reporter":687,"_editable":691,"component":692,"seo_title":543,"categories":693,"visibility":700,"author_company":49,"featured_image":701,"seo_description":686,"author_full_name":49,"author_job_title":49,"formattedDate":705,"formattedArticleDate":706},"aeb58b43-388c-4f38-9a17-3194c4c9d689","2023-09-01 00:00",[550],{"slug":551,"name":552},"china","China",[554],{"slug":555,"name":556,"content":557},"matthew-bird","Matthew Bird",{"job_title":558,"image":559,"bio":561,"linkedin":562},"Senior Editor - Supply Chains & Data Visualisation",{"filename":560},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/512x512/14738033ec/matthew-bird.jpeg","Matthew writes, edits and produces content for Benchmark Intelligence and Benchmark Source across the whole mine to grid supply chain. He also acts as a liaison to the press. He has a PhD in electrochemistry from the University of Nottingham.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/birdmatthew/",{"type":564,"content":565},"doc",[566,583,588,593,604,609,614,619,624,633,640,645,650,655,660,665,670,675],{"type":567,"attrs":568,"content":569},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[570,573,581],{"text":571,"type":572},"Chinese cathode producers are suffering from lower prices, as battery cell manufacturers remain hesitant to buy amid declining raw material prices and ","text",{"text":574,"type":572,"marks":575},"weaker electric vehicle demand",[576],{"type":577,"attrs":578},"link",{"href":579,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":580},"https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/chinas-economic-slowdown-hits-battery-supply-chain?mc_cid=e371f568db&mc_eid=UNIQID","url",{"text":582,"type":572},".",{"type":567,"attrs":584,"content":585},{"textAlign":49},[586],{"text":587,"type":572},"Prices for high nickel cathodes have experienced the largest price falls over the past month, according to Benchmark. ",{"type":567,"attrs":589,"content":590},{"textAlign":49},[591],{"text":592,"type":572},"Nickel cobalt aluminium (NCA) cathode active material prices fell 9.8% between 17 July to 15 August to an average of RMB 275,000/tonne ($37,675), the biggest decline among all cathode materials assessed by Benchmark. ",{"type":567,"attrs":594,"content":595},{"textAlign":49},[596,598],{"text":597,"type":572},"High nickel NCM811 prices fell by 7%, while the price of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode materials fell 7.7 % month-on-month to RMB 90,000/tonne ($12,330), according to ",{"text":599,"type":572,"marks":600},"Benchmark’s Cathode Price Assessment.",[601],{"type":577,"attrs":602},{"href":603,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":580},"https://www.benchmarkminerals.com/price-assessments/cathode/portal/",{"type":567,"attrs":605,"content":606},{"textAlign":49},[607],{"text":608,"type":572},"Contacts reported to Benchmark that cell manufacturers were hesitant at procuring new cathode material due to recent price fluctuations in the market. Cell makers who are buying, aware of falling raw materials prices, are driving hard bargains with CAM manufacturers.",{"type":567,"attrs":610,"content":611},{"textAlign":49},[612],{"text":613,"type":572},"“The cell producers do have power in this case and know that the raw material prices have fallen. The CAM producers will want to retain customers and increase market share so will look to negotiate,” explained Rob Burrell. ",{"type":567,"attrs":615,"content":616},{"textAlign":49},[617],{"text":618,"type":572},"In addition, battery cell producers are suffering from weaker downstream demand. ",{"type":567,"attrs":620,"content":621},{"textAlign":49},[622],{"text":623,"type":572},"“Cell producers are under pressure to keep business going as usual in a more challenging economic environment,” said Benchmark analyst Aran Waid.",{"type":567,"attrs":625,"content":626},{"textAlign":49},[627],{"type":628,"attrs":629},"image",{"id":49,"alt":630,"src":631,"title":49,"source":49,"copyright":49,"meta_data":632},"","https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/d157ba1acc/bm-lfp-cathode-31aug.png",{},{"type":634,"attrs":635,"content":637},"heading",{"level":636,"textAlign":49},4,[638],{"text":639,"type":572},"Decline in nickel cathode prices",{"type":567,"attrs":641,"content":642},{"textAlign":49},[643],{"text":644,"type":572},"Nickel cathode prices overall have been on a downward trajectory since 15 March 2022, when they hit their highest levels since Benchmark began tracking them in 2021. ",{"type":567,"attrs":646,"content":647},{"textAlign":49},[648],{"text":649,"type":572},"The July to August 2023 dip has largely wiped out gains in nickel cathode prices over May to July 2023, only the second time that cathode prices had risen over consecutive months since their all-time highs in the spring of 2022.",{"type":567,"attrs":651,"content":652},{"textAlign":49},[653],{"text":654,"type":572},"NCM cathode producers have now begun to lower prices for material in order to gain market share, and undercut competitors, mirroring LFP cathode market trends present throughout 2023.",{"type":567,"attrs":656,"content":657},{"textAlign":49},[658],{"text":659,"type":572},"Battery plant underutilisation is common in China, meaning demand for cathode materials is weak despite more cell capacity coming online. ",{"type":634,"attrs":661,"content":662},{"level":636,"textAlign":49},[663],{"text":664,"type":572},"Falling cobalt and lithium prices  ",{"type":567,"attrs":666,"content":667},{"textAlign":49},[668],{"text":669,"type":572},"Lower cathode prices have mainly been driven by declines in battery raw material prices this year. Chinese battery-grade lithium carbonate prices have more than halved year-to-date. ",{"type":567,"attrs":671,"content":672},{"textAlign":49},[673],{"text":674,"type":572},"In the period 12 July – 09 August, Benchmark lithium hydroxide (EXW China) prices declined by 12.4%.",{"type":567,"attrs":676,"content":677},{"textAlign":49},[678,684],{"text":679,"type":572,"marks":680},"Cobalt sulphate",[681],{"type":577,"attrs":682},{"href":683,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":580},"https://www.benchmarkminerals.com/price-assessments/cobalt/portal/",{"text":685,"type":572}," prices in China also fell 13.2% between 17 July and 15 August, following a slight increase between 15 May and July 17. ","Chinese cathode producers are suffering from lower prices, as battery cell manufacturers remain hesitant to buy amid declining raw material prices and weaker electric vehicle demand. Prices for high nickel cathodes have experienced the largest price falls over the past month, according to Benchmark. Nickel cobalt aluminium (NCA) cathode active material prices fell 9.8% between […]",[688],{"slug":555,"name":556,"content":689},{"job_title":558,"image":690,"bio":561,"linkedin":562},{"filename":560},"\u003C!--#storyblok#{\"name\": \"article\", \"space\": \"\", \"uid\": \"aeb58b43-388c-4f38-9a17-3194c4c9d689\", \"id\": \"\"}-->","article",[694,696,698],{"slug":695,"name":298},"cathode",{"slug":697,"name":8},"lithium",{"slug":699,"name":150},"nickel","private",{"id":49,"alt":630,"name":630,"focus":630,"title":630,"source":630,"filename":702,"copyright":630,"fieldtype":703,"meta_data":704,"is_external_url":51},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/42d94a4aff/bm-cathode-picture.jpg","asset",{"alt":630,"title":630,"source":630,"copyright":630},"Sep 01, 2023","1st September 2023",[],[],1784052281026]