[Alpha Biz=(Chicago) Reporter Kim Jisun] Nice Investors Service said on the 18th that the secondary battery industry continues to grow steadily, but profitability improvement is slow due to unfavorable environmental changes such as falling raw material prices.

In a related report, Nice Investors Service said, "Sales of secondary battery companies have been growing well this year due to high growth in electric vehicle sales and increased demand for secondary batteries, which are key components," adding, "The improvement in operating profitability has been delayed due to falling prices of major secondary minerals such as nickel, lithium and cobalt."

According to the Korea Investors Service, the price of lithium carbonate soared to 180 at the end of last year when the price was set at 100 in January 2022, but fell below 40 in April this year.

When the same standards are applied, nickel and electrolytic copper are currently below 100.

In addition, demand for electric vehicles and secondary batteries is expected to decrease compared to the past due to environmental changes such as increased instability in the China-based supply chain, the importance of prices due to the growth of the electric vehicle market, and reduced purchasing power due to the economic slowdown.

 

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