Fastmarkets

We are pleased to announce the launch of two new monthly price assessments for lithium metal in China. Lithium metal is emerging as a critical material for next-generation solid-state batteries, with its high energy density making it a promising anode material for future battery technologies. At the same time, it remains an essential material for industrial applications, including specialty alloys and chemical manufacturing. As demand evolves across both battery-grade and industrial-grade markets, our new assessments provide greater visibility into China’s lithium metal market and expand Fastmarkets’ battery materials pricing coverage. ▶️ Read more about the launch: https://fmrkts.com/4g4T8yC Fastmarkets Metals and Mining #Lithium #BatteryMaterials #CriticalMinerals #CommodityMarkets #MarketIntelligence #Mining #EnergyTransition

🚘 Automotive procurement has become a very different job. Cost pressure is no longer coming from one place. A sourcing decision today can be influenced by raw material markets, trade policy, energy costs, regulatory changes, battery supply chains and shifting demand patterns, all at the same time. That's making it harder to answer some fairly fundamental questions: 🔹 Where are costs likely to move next? 🔹 Which risks deserve the most attention? 🔹 How much exposure sits in the supply chain today? 🔹 What assumptions are budgets and supplier negotiations built on? Laura Roberts, Strategic Markets Editor, notes that with aluminium tighter and EV adoption slower than expected, OEMs are reassessing material choices application by application. What were once straightforward material decisions are becoming far more complex. Fastmarkets Automotive OEMs: A Guide to Protecting Margins and Managing Volatility explores how leading OEMs are approaching forecasting, scenario planning, supplier negotiations and cost visibility in a market where the assumptions behind supplier contracts and budgets are moving faster than the contracts themselves. 🔗 Read more: https://fmrkts.com/4pITfTE Fastmarkets Metals and Mining #Automotive #OEM #Procurement #SupplyChain #BatteryMaterials #Steel #Aluminium #Manufacturing #MarketIntelligence

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME Group) has announced that it will launch a lithium carbonate CIF China, Japan and Korea (CJK) options contract on August 17, settling against the monthly average of the Fastmarkets lithium carbonate CIF CJK price. The launch comes as demand for lithium risk-management tools continues to grow across EV and energy storage markets. CME lithium carbonate futures volumes are already up 21% year on year, with trading activity reaching a record 4,343 lots in April 2026. 📈 As Jin Hennig, Managing Director and Global Head of Metals at CME Group, noted: "The energy transition is reshaping demand for raw materials in real time - from the vehicles we drive to the grids that power our homes - and the companies navigating that shift need a full toolkit to manage their risk." The move also reflects growing interest from battery energy storage system (BESS) participants, who are increasingly seeking ways to manage lithium price volatility and gain greater certainty around procurement and project economics. As Przemek Koralewski, Global Head of Market Development at Fastmarkets, commented: "We welcome the listing of lithium carbonate futures by our partners, CME Group. Record trading volumes in lithium carbonate futures this year underline the market’s increasing adoption of these risk management tools." 📖 Read the full analysis by Viral Shah: https://fmrkts.com/3TkLrLW Fastmarkets Metals and Mining #Lithium #BatteryMaterials #CriticalMinerals #CommodityMarkets #RiskManagement #EnergyStorage

🚘 For years, the lithium story has been tied closely to EV growth. That hasn't changed, but it's no longer the full picture. At the Global Lithium, Battery & Critical Materials Conference in Las Vegas in June, Jérôme Pécresse, Chief Executive, Aluminium & Lithium at Rio Tinto, highlighted the growing role of storage as renewable energy deployment accelerates around the world. As renewable energy capacity expands, storage is becoming an increasingly important part of the equation, and, in many cases, a requirement for new projects. "Energy storage is going to be a great source of demand for lithium going forward." Our recent Fast Forward episode with Andrea Hotter explores how demand for lithium is evolving, and what that means for producers, investors and the wider battery materials supply chain. 🎬 Check out the episode: https://fmrkts.com/4fVoG9X Fastmarkets Metals and Mining Fastmarkets Carbon #FastForwardPodcast #Lithium #EnergyStorage #BatteryMaterials #CriticalMinerals #EnergyTransition

The future of the US battery industry may not depend on building a replica of China's supply chain. 🔋 Speaking at the Global Lithium, Battery & Critical Materials Conference in Las Vegas, Audrey Robertson, Assistant Secretary at the US Department of Energy, argued that America's advantage will come from innovation, R&D and the development of new battery chemistries, rather than trying to recreate every step of the supply chain domestically. "The real advantage is going to be in American ingenuity and R&D, the new chemistries." It's one of the many perspectives explored in the latest episode of Fast Forward with Andrea Hotter, which examines how governments, producers and technology leaders are thinking about the next phase of the battery economy. 🎧 Listen to the full episode: https://fmrkts.com/4pGqKpQ Fastmarkets Metals and Mining #FastForwardPodcast #BatteryMaterials #CriticalMinerals #BatterySupplyChain #EnergyTransition #Lithium

Food and beverage procurement teams are facing cost pressure from multiple directions at once. Packaging, ingredients, energy and sustainability costs are all influenced by different market forces, yet they ultimately impact the same budget. Our Forecasting with Confidence: A Playbook for Smarter Food & Beverage Procurement explores: 🔹 Why forecasting often falls short in volatile markets 🔹 How packaging, ingredient and metals markets create overlapping cost pressures 🔹 The impact of supplier narratives and fragmented data on decision-making 🔹 How scenario planning and independent benchmarks can strengthen procurement strategies 🔹 Why even small forecasting errors can have a meaningful impact on margins 📖 Download the playbook: https://fmrkts.com/4pEEeCo Fastmarkets Forest Products Fastmarkets Metals and Mining Fastmarkets Agriculture #FoodAndBeverage #Procurement #SupplyChain #CommodityMarkets #MarketIntelligence #CostManagement

This year’s leading European battery meeting is coming to Hungary, with new perspectives from CarbonScape, Novandino Litio, Umicore and Siemens Energy joining the program, new attendees including aramco, HiTHIUM Energy Storage and MOL Group in the room, and an exclusive visit to CATL's new Debrecen gigafactory. With eight weeks to go, here are the latest updates. CarbonScape’s Vincent Ledoux Pedailles joins the discussion on Europe’s anode future following CATL’s strategic investment in the company. Umicore’s Pieter Verhees will examine what it will take to make battery recycling commercially viable, while Novandino Litio’s Pieter Schepmans joins Volvo Trucks to discuss how Europe can build a more resilient battery value chain. AESC Europe, Yibin Tianyi Lithium Industry, BW ESS, VERBUND and ALTEO are also among the latest companies confirmed, alongside automotive names Volvo Trucks, Renault and BMW Group, bringing lithium processing, cell manufacturing, energy storage and major battery buyers together in the room. Places on the CATL Debrecen gigafactory visit are going fast. The visit is included in the VIP Pass, alongside the VIP Dinner in Budapest and bookable VIP meeting tables throughout the event. More speakers and companies will be announced over the coming weeks. Click Attend to follow the latest updates ahead of Fastmarkets European Battery Raw Materials 2026 in Budapest this September. #BatteryMaterials #BatterySupplyChain #BatteryRecycling #EnergyStorage #FastmarketsBRM

🚘 The automotive industry is being asked to make long-term decisions in a market that feels increasingly short-term. Raw material prices, trade policy, energy costs and battery supply chains are all moving at once, often in different directions. Add changing demand patterns and evolving regulations, and it becomes much harder to understand where cost pressure is building and how long it will last. Some of the biggest questions facing automotive teams today include: 🔹 How exposed are sourcing strategies to tariffs, CBAM and other policy s hifts? 🔹 What are steel, aluminium and battery markets signaling about future costs? 🔹 How should OEMs approach forecasting and supplier negotiations in a more volatile environment? 🔹 Where are the biggest risks and opportunities across EV and ICE supply chains? The market is becoming more complex, which means visibility is becoming more valuable. ▶️ Download our guide to learn more how automotive OEMs can protect margins and manage volatility: https://fmrkts.com/4vJcCgW #Automotive #SupplyChain #Procurement #BatteryMaterials #Steel #Aluminium #EV #Manufacturing #MarketIntelligence