CME Group, a leading derivatives marketplace, is set to introduce a futures contract for Lithium Carbonate on July 17, 2023, subject to regulatory reviews. With the increasing demand for electric vehicles, this move aims to offer market participants improved risk management options and greater transparency in battery chemistry preferences. The launch of this contract is expected to address the market’s need for efficient risk management tools in the volatile battery materials sector.

I. The Lithium Carbonate CIF CJK (Fastmarkets) Futures Contract

CME Group’s Lithium Carbonate CIF CJK (Fastmarkets) futures contract serves as a complementary offering to its existing Lithium Hydroxide CIF CJK (Fastmarkets) futures contract. This initiative seeks to establish a forward curve for Lithium Carbonate, empowering market participants to effectively manage price risk.

II. CME Group’s Expanding Risk Management Products for Electric Vehicle Market

CME Group provides a comprehensive range of risk management products encompassing various electric vehicle components. Alongside Lithium Carbonate and Lithium Hydroxide futures contracts, the company offers futures contracts for battery metals like Copper, Silver, Aluminum, and Steel. These products have witnessed substantial growth in tandem with the increasing demand for Cobalt and Lithium, crucial components in electric vehicle batteries. The introduction of Lithium futures contracts will further augment price transparency and facilitate efficient risk management for market participants.

III. The Lithium Carbonate CIF CJK (Fastmarkets) Futures Contract Mechanics

The Lithium Carbonate CIF CJK (Fastmarkets) futures contracts are financially-settled contracts based on Fastmarkets’ battery-grade Lithium Carbonate assessment. Each business day of the contract month, the contracts will be settled by calculating the arithmetic average of all available daily price assessments published for “Lithium hydroxide monohydrate min 56.5% LiOH.H2O battery-grade spot price, US$ per kg CIF China, Japan & South Korea” in US dollars per kilogram by Fastmarkets. This settlement mechanism ensures fair and transparent pricing for market participants.

IV. Market Landscape: London Metal Exchange’s Lithium Hydroxide CIF (Fastmarkets) Contract

The London Metal Exchange (LME) launched its Lithium Hydroxide CIF (Fastmarkets) contract in July 2021. However, trading activity in this contract has been limited since its inception. CME Group’s introduction of the Lithium Carbonate futures contract aims to bridge this gap by providing market participants with additional risk management tools for a wide range of raw battery materials.

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