The Trump Administration’s newly announced US import tariffs could dramatically reshape the American automotive and electric vehicle (EV) industries, compounding existing pressures in the battery raw materials (BRM) market, analysts at Fastmarkets warned Friday.
The lithium market, in particular, remains under significant strain amid global economic uncertainty, sluggish demand, and persistently low prices. “The market outlook remains bearish, with weak downstream buying activity and little improvement in lithium demand expected in April. Even energy storage battery producers are slashing lithium orders,” Fastmarkets said in the report.
Despite a promising rebound in EV sales in Europe during the first quarter, lithium demand in the region remains soft. Chinese spot markets for spodumene continue to slide, driven by prolonged weakness in lithium pricing. Australian miners have lowered their offer…
