RE: RNS - AGM5 Dec 2023 08:52
i don't buy the macro argument for price variation in lithium carbonate. when you have just one global customer (china) locking up so much of the demand, it seems more open to manipulation akin to opec turning up and down supply to suit their game plan. in this case, china want as much as possible, so it makes sense to drive up demand to get projects into the feasibility stage, then crash it to try and force them to sell out due to lack of other investment.
once europe has its own controlled supply, then it becomes much harder for this manipulation on price to occur.
that said, what would really give the supply chain a kick up the ****, would be for the eu to actually make a decision, and form policy to encourage investment immediately, rather than always from some arbitrary point in the future.
as for the uk..