Lithium miners have faced a challenging year due to sluggish growth in electric vehicle (EV) sales, resulting in high inventories and a significant decline in lithium prices. Lithium plays a crucial role in EV battery production.
As the lithium market shifts towards being adequately supplied in 2023 and potentially oversupplied in 2024 and 2025, experts anticipate a period of reduced earnings and profit margins across the entire supply chain, according to analysts from BofA.
The prices of lithium in China, the world’s largest consumer of the metal, dropped during the quarter due to lackluster demand. Specifically, the spot prices for battery-grade lithium carbonate in China fell by approximately 45%, reaching 165,000 Chinese Yuan ($22,561.63) per tonne in the July-September period. This sharp decline follows a 72% decrease from the all-time high observed in November 2022, putting pressure on the shares of companies like Livent and other lithium-focused businesses, as noted by Raymond James analyst Pavel Molchanov.
Despite these challenges, industry experts advise investors to consider more than just the spot price of lithium. Independent lithium analyst and consultant Chris Berry points out that current prices are still higher than historical averages, indicating persistent demand even amidst the price decline.
Lithium producers view the current market turbulence as a temporary phase and are confident in the continued growth of the electrification trend. Eric Norris, the head of Albemarle’s Energy Storage division, reassures investors that the current difficulties are temporary and should not impact long-term growth. Livent, a major lithium supplier to companies like BMW and Tesla, remains optimistic about the enduring demand for lithium, despite its weak quarterly results.
Companies such as Mineral Resources and IGO, which operate lithium mines and have investments in joint ventures, believe that market volatility may persist in the near term but are still confident in the fundamental demand for lithium.
In summary, while recent price declines and concerns about EV adoption have affected the lithium market, industry leaders remain bullish on the long-term growth and demand for this essential battery metal. They believe that the current challenges are temporary and anticipate market stabilization and continued growth in the future.