Market anticipations for a contraction in the supply of "white petroleum," lithium carbonate, have intensified, propelling the price of its futures main contract beyond 80,000 yuan per ton, exceeding the industry's recognized break-even threshold. Industry insiders in the futures market attribute the recent robust rebound in lithium carbonate futures prices primarily to robust expectations of reduced supply. From a news perspective, the potential decline in lithium carbonate production that could impact supply is significant. Should this market expectation materialize, the supply-demand dynamics of lithium carbonate would shift from a state of ample supply and subdued demand to a more balanced scenario.

Furthermore, institutional analysis reveals an unexpected surge in downstream demand. Traditionally, July to August are considered off-peak demand months, with expectations of a 6% to 7% month-on-month decrease in downstream demand in July. However, actual tracking data indicates that, barring a few individual enterprises, the overall industry's production schedule has increased, particularly in the commercial vehicle, heavy truck, and energy storage sectors. On the whole, the production schedule for battery cells in July achieved a 5% month-on-month increase.