USA | Chemicals Equity Research October 14, 2025 Lithium Value Chain Survey: Incremental Improvement Our survey of lithium converters (95% China-based sales) and battery material producers (63%) showed a modest improvement in sentiment. Battery producer volumes turned positive. Despite weaker order books, the cadence of new orders has improved, as have expectations for prices (less deflation) and sales. Inventories remain healthy, while low customer stock could signal a restock in 2026. Laurence Alexander * ...

Core Viewpoint - Standard Lithium Ltd. announced a $120 million underwritten public offering of common stock, leading to a 13.73% decline in share price during after-hours trading [1]. Offering Details and Underwriters - The public offering will be managed by Morgan Stanley and Evercore ISI as co-lead book-running managers, with BMO Capital Markets as the book-running manager for the underwriter syndicate [2]. - Underwriters will have a 30-day option to purchase an additional 15% of the offered shares at the same price [2]. Capital Allocation Strategy - The net proceeds from the offering will be allocated to capital expenditures for the South West Arkansas Project and Franklin Project in East Texas, as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes [3]. Project Development Context - The funding aligns with a Definitive Feasibility Study for the South West Arkansas Project, targeting 22,500 tonnes per year of battery-grade lithium carbonate production, with construction expected to start in 2026 [4]. Stock Performance - Year-to-date, Standard Lithium has gained 269.18% and 308.33% over the past six months, with a market capitalization of 1.48 billion CAD and an average daily trading volume of about 4.21 million shares [5]. - The stock has fluctuated between $1.08 and $6.40 over the past year, closing at $5.39, up 5.27% on Thursday [5].

Core Insights - Investors have shown a bearish sentiment towards Albemarle, with 60% of trades being bearish and only 30% bullish [1] - The predicted price range for Albemarle's stock is between $70.0 and $160.0, based on trading volumes and open interest over the last three months [2] - The trading volume for Albemarle stands at 937,902, with the stock price currently at $98.1, reflecting a 1.93% increase [14] Options Activity - A total of 10 options trades were detected for Albemarle, with 2 puts totaling $64,750 and 8 calls totaling $429,197 [1] - The largest options trades include a bearish call trade with a total price of $130,000 and a bullish call trade priced at $68,400 [8] - The volume and open interest trends for Albemarle's options indicate significant liquidity and interest within the strike price range of $70.0 to $160.0 over the past 30 days [3] Company Overview - Albemarle is a leading lithium producer, primarily serving the battery market, especially for electric vehicles [9] - The company has upstream resources including salt brine deposits in Chile and the US, and hard rock mines in Australia, along with lithium refining plants in multiple countries [9] - Albemarle also produces bromine and oil refining catalysts, positioning itself as a global leader in these markets [9] Market Ratings - Recent expert opinions on Albemarle indicate a consensus target price of $92.33, with ratings from Mizuho and UBS maintaining a Neutral stance [11][12] - B of A Securities has downgraded its rating to Neutral with a target price of $100, reflecting a cautious outlook [12]

JPMorgan launches $1.5 trillion initiative to boost industries deemed vital for national security, after the Trump administration took stakes in rare-earth, lithium and chip companies. ...

Deep-pocketed investors have adopted a bearish approach towards Albemarle (NYSE:ALB), and it's something market players shouldn't ignore. Our tracking of public options records at Benzinga unveiled this significant move today. The identity of these investors remains unknown, but such a substantial move in ALB usually suggests something big is about to happen.We gleaned this information from our observations today when Benzinga's options scanner highlighted 15 extraordinary options activities for Albemarle. ...

Over the course of this year, the Trump administration has built a portfolio of strategic corporate holdings, with direct ownership stakes in several major companies.The strategy appears to largely revolve around securing critical supply chains in semiconductors, rare earths, lithium, and steel.More precisely, Washington now owns 10% equity stake in Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), 15% in MP Materials (NYSE: MP), 10% in Lithium Americas (NYSE: LAC), and 10% in Trilogy Metals (NASDAQ: TMQ).In addition, the government o ...

The US government has shot down reports that it is considering buying a stake in Critical Metals (NASDAQ: CRML), the company developing one of the world’s largest rare earth resources in Greenland.The Trump administration is not currently considering a deal that would see it take a stake in Critical Metals, a White House official stated on Monday, as first reported by Bloomberg.On Friday, Reuters reported that Washington had been in talks over an equity investment in the New York-based company while it was ...

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U.S. stock futures rose on Monday following Friday’s mixed moves. Futures of major benchmark indices were higher.The federal government shutdown will continue into this week after a Senate procedural vote failed again on Friday. The measure did not secure the 60 votes needed to advance, with only 54 senators voting in favor. Meanwhile, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) broke $125,000 per coin mark to set a new all-time high, with trading volume more than doubling in the last 24 hours to a whopping $76 billion. The 10-y ...

We recently published 10 Stocks With Eye-Popping Double-Digit Gains. QuantumScape Corporation (NYSE:QS) is one of the top performers on Friday. QuantumScape propelled to a new 52-week high on Friday, as investors poured funds into shares of battery companies following the US government’s ongoing initiatives to prop up the lithium industry in the country. During the session, the stock climbed to its highest price of $16.49 before trimming gains to finish the day just up by 11.33 percent at $15.92 a piece. ...