You can directly buy stocks in companies involved in lithium mining or in Li-ion battery production. Or you can get involved in funds that invest in companies of this type. With such a limited supply, any increase in demand can truly boost the price of the metal in the world market. And that’s happening Emerging market index right now because of the current success of the Tesla car company. The electric car industry is rising like a phoenix, with Apple and Google poised to launch their own versions soon.
All market data (will open in new tab) is provided by Barchart Solutions. Informative feedback on market conditions across various lithium products in multiple regions. In light of the above, it seems that only ASX lithium stocks with low costs will be in a position to run profitable operations in the coming years. It has not been an easy time to invest in ASX lithium stocks. By taking up this offer, you will also be enrolled in our auto-renewal program, which is our way of making your ongoing subscription easier by ensuring uninterrupted service. Don’t worry, though – you’re not locked in, and can cancel your auto-renewal at any time before each ‘anniversary’ date without question or penalty.
Benchmark Lithium Price Data
Lithium is toxic and ingestion is often done under close medical supervision. Lithium carbonate is prescribed for manic depression (also known as bipolar disorder) and sometimes for lesser grades of depression. From early on, lithium was used in the medical world as a treatment for physical and psychiatric conditions. In the mid-1800’s it was unsuccessfully used to remedy gout and uric acid calculi. In the late 1800s, it was used to treat mania with such positive results that lithium is still used in psychiatry today. Our responsive widgets and charts scale to nearly any display size.
In addition, Benchmark derives global average prices for both lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide as well as a lithium chemical index, weighted by volumes traded on the market. The success of your investment will depend on the sustained popularity of mobile devices and the increased popularity of electric cars. All these devices need Li-ion batteries, and as such the demand for the metal will skyrocket. The global market for these batteries was $11.7 billion back in 2012. By the end of 2016, that’s expected to double ameritrade forex broker to $22.5 billion.
- For businesses that need compliant and stable sources of lithium, SMM tracks the most recent environmental regulations impacting the market.
- The dollar index (DXY00 ) Thursday rose by +0.41% and posted a 1-1/2 week high.
- This has been driven by increasing supply of the white metal, particularly in the China market.
Trade with lithium price data that is unbiased, IOSCO-compliant and widely used across the energy commodity markets. Our lithium prices are market-reflective, assessing both the buy- and sell-side of transactions. SMM in early 2025 reported that industrial-grade lithium hydroxide was averaging $7,723.13 per metric ton with environmental pressures adding to prices slightly in some markets. For businesses that need compliant and stable sources of lithium, SMM tracks the most recent environmental regulations impacting the market. Let’s take a look and see what analysts at Goldman Sachs are forecasting for three widely used lithium types – lithium carbonate, lithium spodumene, and lithium hydroxide.
Metal Facts
Aside from various uncommon usages, lithium is used mainly as a component of rechargeable Li-ion batteries and as a treatment for several types of mental disorders. The commodity remains extremely valuable due to its essential roles in the fields of medicine, technology, and to investors looking to add a sought-after commodity to their best forex trading platform portfolio. Lithium mining produced an estimated 82,000 metric tons of lithium in 2020 and the global reserves in 2021 is at an estimated 21 million tonnes. In Australia, lithium comes from mining ores of other minerals.
SMM ASEAN Automotive Supply Chain Conference
Any type of interruption to the supply chain—geopolitics or logistics—will have aftershocks all over the world. For instance, SMM has recorded price volatility of battery-grade lithium hydroxide ranging from $8,315.54 to $8,681.41 per ton that reflects such drivers’ caused volatility. The largest driver of lithium price action over the last few years has been the supernova burst of demand for electric vehicles (EVs). Lithium-ion batteries are the backbone of EV technology, and as the automobile industry shifts increasingly towards electric power, lithium is in demand.
What do Lithium Price Assessment Subscribers receive?
Weak lithium prices are squeezing the profits of lithium miners and making some unprofitable. It was for the latter reason that Core Lithium decided to suspend its mining operations indefinitely earlier this year. This has been driven by significant lithium price weakness caused by the oversupply of the white metal, softer than expected demand, and the emergence of low cost lepidolite in China.
Such speculative investing, while sending the market into higher gear, can also trigger sharp price runs or corrections. Technology involved in the recycling and extraction of lithium will most probably dictate 2025 lithium prices. Since supply can no longer meet demand, new techniques for extraction are being discovered to enhance them with lower environmental effects. Tariffs, export bans, and policy restructuring in lithium production countries are other factors contributing towards price volatility. The global supply chain of lithium is plagued with several issues, the majority being geopolitical and logistically related.
Demand for lithium is being driven by rising production of electric vehicles (EVs) in nations such as China, America, and Europe, all of which have made aggressive climate goals. Rising demand for clean energy technology such as solar and wind that use lithium-based energy storage technology is also driving pressures on the lithium supply. Governments of nations that have lithium production are enacting tighter controls, which can increase the cost of production and, in turn, push lithium prices up. As of 2025, SMM ranged battery-grade lithium hydroxide prices from $8,791.65 to $9,465.23 per ton, showing new technology’s capability to help manage supply pressures. Here in this article, we have a glance at the top five drivers of lithium prices in 2025 based on insights rooted in industry reports, trends, and actual data. Lithium can rarely be obtained by investors in its physical form but the metal can be traded effectively in other ways.
Lithium is also used to create alloys with magnesium and aluminium which are then deployed in armour plating, aircraft and trains. Unfortunately for investors of ASX lithium stocks, Goldman Sachs is not expecting a meaningful improvement in lithium prices in the coming years. The Motley Fool launched its Australian presence in 2011, and since then has grown to reach over 1 million Australians.
Johan August Arfvedson of Stockholm analysed the mineral when he realized it contained an unknown metal that was a new alkali and a version of sodium. The metal’s name is derived from the Greek word “lithos” meaning stone. In the 1790s, Jozé Bonifácio de Andralda e Silva from Brazil discovered petalite on Utö, a Swedish island. This was the first lithium mineral to be found but it wasn’t until 1817 that lithium was identified as a new metal in its own right. Fastmarkets’ energy events give you a front-row seat to one of the most dynamic and critical markets in today’s economy as we make the strategic transition to a low-carbon economy. For example, the laws in Australian and Chilean states—both among the world’s top producers of lithium—have recently been tightened with an eye toward supporting cleaner forms of mining.
To begin with, let’s look at what lithium prices were commanding on average during 2023. Firstly, let’s have a little reminder of what lithium prices were commanding on average in 2023. China produces more lithium-ion batteries than any other nation on the planet, and its attempts at having a solid supply of lithium are at the forefront of how to balance the world market. A seasonal chart is designed to help you visualize how futures contracts have performed during a calendar year. They help show patterns and price trends for commodities whose prices often change with the seasons. Battery-grade lithium carbonate is priced between $8,952.77 and $9,207.18 per metric ton and stands at $9,079.98 per metric ton as of March 2025, according to Shanghai Metals Market (SMM).
- China produces more lithium-ion batteries than any other nation on the planet, and its attempts at having a solid supply of lithium are at the forefront of how to balance the world market.
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- In light of the above, it seems that only ASX lithium stocks with low costs will be in a position to run profitable operations in the coming years.
- The dollar is climbing today on concerns that US trade policies will keep inflation elevated and dissuade the Fed from lowering interest rates.
Although the technology will ultimately lower future production costs, its extensive application will be a long-term process with gigantic capital expenditure. The short-term demand-supply balance will continue to dominate forming price volatility. The LME, CME and SGX have all launched or announced futures contracts that are cash settled against the Fastmarkets lithium indices. These allow market participants to lock in future prices, hedging as much or as little exposure as they wish. The ability to protect margins in this way enables supply chains to be more robust, while strengthening the growth of the battery materials market. Speculative trading causes price bursts in the short run, but these typically cause market rebalancing through the bursting of the bubble.
