Group 1 - Lithium stocks are declining, with Tianqi Lithium (09696) down 3.51% at HKD 50.85 and Ganfeng Lithium (01772) down 3.03% at HKD 54.35 [1] - On December 29, the main contract for lithium carbonate on the Shanghai Futures Exchange continued to decline, hitting the limit down at the end of trading [1] - At the supplier conference held by CATL in Ningde, it was announced that sodium batteries will be widely applied in various fields such as battery swapping, passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and energy storage by 2026, indicating a potential trend of "sodium-lithium dual stars shining" [1] Group 2 - According to sources close to CATL, the lithium mining project of Yichun Times New Energy Mining Co., Ltd. in Yifeng County is expected to resume production around the Spring Festival [1] - Daiwa's report suggests that while the market anticipates an increase in CATL's lithium production capacity next year, the current lithium futures prices only reflect short-term supply-demand balance improvements [1] - The report also indicates that with an expected increase in lithium supply in the first half of next year and a potential quarter-on-quarter decline in demand in the first quarter, lithium prices are unlikely to rise further at the beginning of next year [1]