Spot lithium prices in China’s domestic market declined over the week to Thursday June 20, due to ongoing weak spot demand from the sluggish downstream battery sector and bearish sentiment, sources told Fastmarkets

US-headquartered Atlas Lithium decided to expand its investment into Brazilian hard-rock lithium feedstock resources with the acquisition of new exploration permits ahead of scheduled first production from its Neves project in the fourth quarter, the company announced on Monday June 17

Here are the key insights from our conversation with Fastmarkets’ Paul Lusty on the future of the battery raw materials and electric vehicle markets

Chinese authorities are in the process of considering relaxing restrictions on the import of some specifications of black mass to the country, sources said

Market sentiment for black mass sales to Asia was hit by weakening battery metal prices in the week to Friday June 14, but solid demand from the expanding South Korean market was lending support to the payables, sources told Fastmarkets.

Aluminium and lithium market participants told Fastmarkets the European Commission’s provisional additional duties on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) are supportive for production but they were not convinced they would be enough to reverse the fortunes of the weakening domestic European auto market

The European Union announced on Wednesday June 12 that it will impose additional tariffs of up to 38.1% on electric vehicles (EVs) imported from China from July 4.

Europe’s nascent synthetic graphite sector faces a double threat with China’s overcapacity persisting and US legislation embracing protectionism at the expense of a level playing field, according to the head of a forthcoming anode material producer in Europe

Read more from senior analyst Andy Farida on how the price action in LME nickel has played out in the first half of 2024

Fastmarkets provide an overview of lithium hydroxide’s recent global performance across key regions and offer insights into what 2024 might hold for battery manufacturers, energy sector analysts and lithium hydroxide buyers.