Why the First Quarter of 2021 Has Been Promising for Lithium Market
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PALM BEACH, Fla., April 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ The first few months of the year have been bright for the lithium market, with interest in battery metals increasing as electric vehicles (EVs) take over news headlines around the world. Despite the volatility brought by the coronavirus pandemic to every market, lithium has shown resilience and prices performed on an uptrend during the first quarter. At the end of last year, the trend of declining lithium prices seemed to be coming to an end, with analysts predicting a better price environment ahead. When the year kicked off, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence was already expecting the lithium market to come into tightness in 2021. They said: But the speed of price increases in Q1 2021 was beyond expectation, with prices for lithium carbonate having nearly doubled in price since the beg
Lithium prices are surging, sparking concerns about limited supplies of the battery metal that is crucial to the electric-vehicle boom.
Chinese prices for lithium, considered a bellwether because of the market’s higher liquidity and active spot market, have soared since the start of the year. Lithium carbonate, a compound of the silvery metal used in the batteries that power most of China’s electric-car fleet, has jumped 68% since the start of the year to $11,250 a metric ton, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.
The price rally marks a sharp turnaround for lithium. A wave of investment in new mines until 2018 driven by overexuberant expectations of demand for electric cars created a glut of the metal that depressed prices.
Click here to read the previous lithium outlook.
2020 kicked off what many believe will be the decade for lithium and other battery metals. And despite the uncertainty brought by the coronavirus pandemic, lithium made headlines throughout the year.
The potential demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is growing stronger by the day, with a more balanced lithium market expected in 2021. Moreover, the trend of declining prices seems to be coming to an end, with analysts predicting a better price environment ahead.
Here the Investing News Network (INN) looks at lithium’s 2020 price performance, what analysts had to say about the market and what’s ahead for the metal in 2021.