May 14 News – Citigroup recently expressed a clear short-term bullish outlook on lithium prices, forecasting a 25%-35% increase over the next three months. The bank has also significantly raised its lithium price forecasts for 2026-2028 by 50%-70%, setting a 0-3 month target price of $40,000 per ton for lithium carbonate and $32,000 per ton for lithium hydroxide.

Chempricehub provides an analysis of lithium carbonate, with a bullish-bearish score of 2. As a leading international financial institution, Citigroup’s explicit short-term bullish stance on lithium prices—predicting a 25%-35% rise in the next three months—along with a substantial upward revision of 50%-70% for 2026-2028, a 0-3 month target price of $40,000 per ton for lithium carbonate (well above current spot and futures prices), has significantly boosted market confidence in long positions, creating a major positive catalyst for lithium carbonate prices.

From the futures market perspective, on May 13, 2026, the main lithium carbonate contract (2609) on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange closed at 201,960 yuan per ton, down 3,960 yuan for the day, with open interest at 519,500 lots. The release of this bullish news is expected to attract speculative and end-user buying, potentially driving futures prices higher.